JP2007076751A - Paper feeding cassette and information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeding cassette capable of reducing the cost by reducing the number of component parts of a locking means and enhancing the operating easiness when the sheet storage space is expanded or contracted, and an information processing device. <P>SOLUTION: The locking means 27 to restrict the position of a sub-case as not slidable relative to a main case consists of a lever member equipped with a locking arm 53 extended toward the main case from a rotational fulcrum 51 supported on the sub-case rotatably, a first and a second lock parts 55, 56 installed on the locking arm 53 for restricting the sliding of the sub-case by engagement with a first and a second engagement parts on the main case side, and an operating lever 57 to turn the locking arm 53 in the direction of unlocking, wherein the dead weight of the locking means 27 generates a rotation moment M1 to maintain the first and second lock parts 55, 56 in such a condition as engaged with the first and second engagement parts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feed cassette and an information processing apparatus capable of changing the size of a paper storage space for storing paper.

  Conventionally, information processing apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and facsimiles sequentially take out the sheets stacked and accommodated in a paper cassette that is detachably mounted by a pickup mechanism, and feed them to an information recording unit such as a print head. Thus, information processing for recording an image on paper is performed.

  Some of such information processing apparatuses can change the size of the paper storage space of the paper feed cassette in accordance with various types of paper having different sizes. As a method of changing the size of the paper cassette, a dedicated paper cassette is prepared for each paper size in advance, and the paper cassette to be used is switched according to the selected paper size. There is. However, such a system requires a large number of paper feed cassettes, so that there is a drawback that the information processing apparatus is enlarged and the cost of the apparatus is greatly increased.

Therefore, in order to eliminate such drawbacks, a case main body having a paper storage space corresponding to the maximum size paper that can be processed and a fixed outer dimension, and a partition member that divides the paper storage space in the case main body are provided. A paper feed cassette has been proposed that can accommodate small size paper by providing and adjusting the position of the partition member.
However, such a paper cassette has the same external dimensions as when using a maximum size paper even when using a small size paper. There is a problem that the amount of protrusion is large and it is indispensable to secure a large installation space for installing the information processing apparatus.

  Therefore, recently, when the size of the paper to be stored is small, the paper storage space can be expanded by tilting the case wall on the rear end side of the paper to be stored as a paper feed cassette that can reduce the outer dimensions of the case. Various proposals have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1) and structures (for example, see Patent Document 2) in which the paper accommodation space is expanded by sliding the case wall on the rear end side of the paper to be accommodated rearward. ing.

JP 2004-10352 A JP 2001-97561 A

  However, each of the paper feed cassettes described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above employs a mechanism in which a spring member is incorporated in the locking means of the case wall that is movable when the paper storage space is expanded or contracted. For this reason, the number of component parts of the lock means increases, leading to an increase in the cost of the paper feed cassette.

In general, a paper feed cassette is provided with a rear end guide mechanism for regulating the position of the rear end of the sheets stored in a stacked state in the paper storage space in the case so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the case. Yes.
However, in the case of the paper feed cassettes described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above, the operation of the case wall for expanding the paper storage space cannot be interlocked with the rear end guide mechanism. For this reason, after completing the movement operation of the case wall for expanding the paper storage space, another movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism must be performed, which increases the number of operations when expanding the paper storage space. There was also a problem that the operability was not good.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to reduce the cost by reducing the number of components of the lock means, and it is possible to improve the operability at the time of expansion / contraction of the paper storage space. To provide a paper feed cassette and an information processing apparatus.

The object of the present invention is to provide a main case that is detachably attached to the information processing apparatus from the front end side, and a rear end wall that covers a rear end opening portion of the main case, and a case on the rear end side of the main case. A sub case that is slidably connected along the front-rear direction, and a lock unit that restricts the position of the sub case so as not to slide relative to the main case;
The size of the paper storage space defined by the main case and the sub case is a paper feed cassette that can be changed by a sliding operation of the sub case with respect to the main case,
The lock means is pivotally supported by the sub case so as to be pivotable, a lock arm extending from the pivot fulcrum toward the main case, and a lock arm provided on the lock arm. A lock portion that engages with a locking portion on the main case side by rotation to one side and restricts sliding of the sub case, and extends from the rotation fulcrum in a direction different from the lock arm and the lock A lever member provided with an operation lever for rotating the arm in the unlocking direction;
A rotation moment for rotating the lock arm to one side and maintaining the lock portion engaged with the locking portion is generated by the weight of the lever member. Is done.

  According to the sheet feeding cassette having the above-described configuration, the lock arm that regulates the movement of the sub case after the adjustment of the expansion and contraction of the paper storage space by the sub case moving operation is such that the lock arm is rotated to one side by the rotating moment acting by its own weight. It is a lever member that keeps the lock portion of the lock arm engaged with the locking portion on the main case side, and can be realized with a simple component configuration that does not use a spring member.

  In the paper feed cassette configured as described above, a rear end guide mechanism for regulating the position of the rear end of the paper stored in the paper storage space is provided slidably in the front-rear direction of the case, and the rear guide It is preferable that a part of the mechanism engages with the locking means and rotates in the unlocking direction so that the sub case can slide in conjunction with the rear end guide mechanism.

  According to such a configuration, the movement operation of the sub case at the time of expansion / contraction of the paper storage space can be interlocked with the movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism, and the sub case movement operation and the rear end guide mechanism movement operation Need not be implemented separately. As a result, the operation at the time of expansion / contraction of the paper storage space can be simplified and the operability can be improved.

In the sheet feeding cassette having the above-described configuration, the lock arm extends along the bottom wall of the sub case from the rotation fulcrum, and the operation lever extends from the rotation fulcrum to the rear end wall of the sub case. It is desirable to extend along.
According to such a configuration, the occupying portion of the lever member in the sheet accommodation space can be minimized, and the locking means can be made compact.

Further, in the sheet feeding cassette having the above-described configuration, the flexible lock piece integrally formed with the sub case urges the lock arm to one side to engage the lock portion with the locking portion. It is desirable to maintain the state.
According to such a configuration, in addition to the weight of the lever member, the lock portion of the lock arm can be maintained in the engaged state by the elastic force of the flexible lock piece. It is possible to prevent the engagement of the lock portion from being inadvertently released due to vibration or the like. Further, since the flexible lock piece is integrally formed with the sub case, the number of components of the lock means does not increase.

In the sheet feeding cassette having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the lever member is integrally formed by press forming a metal plate.
According to such a configuration, the lever member can be easily formed, and the specific moment can be increased to increase the rotational moment that maintains the lock portion of the lock arm engaged with the locking portion. .

The above object of the present invention is achieved by an information processing apparatus including the paper feed cassette having the above structure.
According to the information processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, when processing a small-sized sheet, the sub-case is moved in the direction of reducing the sheet storage space, and the sheet cassette is set to be compact. The protrusion amount of the paper feed cassette from the processing apparatus can be reduced.
In addition, when processing a large size paper, the sub case is moved in the direction to expand the paper storage space of the paper cassette, and the paper stored in the paper cassette can be switched to a paper of a predetermined size. Information processing can be performed on various types of paper having different sizes depending on one paper feed cassette.

In addition, the paper feed cassette installed in the information processing apparatus is a lever member that realizes a lock operation by a rotational moment due to its own weight, and a lock member that restricts the movement of the sub case after adjusting the expansion and contraction of the paper storage space. Since it is realized with a simple component configuration that is not used, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of components of the locking means.
Further, when the movement operation of the sub case at the time of expansion / contraction of the paper storage space is linked to the movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism, the sub case movement operation and the rear end guide mechanism movement operation at the time of expansion / contraction of the paper storage space Need not be performed separately, the number of operations when switching the paper size is reduced, and handling is improved.

According to the sheet feeding cassette and the information processing apparatus of the present invention, when processing a small-sized sheet, the protrusion of the sheet feeding cassette from the information processing apparatus can be reduced and the installation of the information processing apparatus can be facilitated. it can.
Further, the locking means for restricting the movement of the sub case after adjusting the expansion / contraction of the paper storage space is a lever member that realizes the locking operation by the rotational moment due to its own weight, and does not use a separate spring member. Cost reduction can be achieved by reducing the number of points.
Further, when the movement operation of the sub case at the time of expansion / contraction of the paper storage space is interlocked with the movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism, the sub case movement operation and the rear end guide mechanism movement operation at the time of expansion / contraction of the paper storage space Need not be performed separately, the number of operations when switching the paper size is reduced, and handling is improved.

Hereinafter, a paper feed cassette and an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is an overall perspective view of an ink jet printer equipped with a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 6 are a perspective view and a plan view of the paper feed cassette in the reduced state shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a lever member constituting a lock unit used in the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2, and FIGS. 8 to 16 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the lock unit used in the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the rear end guide mechanism shown in FIG. 2, and FIGS. 18 and 19 show the lock release portion of the rear end guide mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 20 to FIG. 25 are perspective views and plan views of the sheet feeding cassette when viewed from obliquely upward on the front side when expanded in conjunction with the operation of the rear end guide mechanism. It is a figure and sectional drawing.

The paper feed cassette 100 according to the present embodiment is detachably mounted on a cassette mounting portion in the apparatus main body 3 of the ink jet printer 1 that is an information processing apparatus, and sheets stacked and accommodated inside the cassette are images of the ink jet printer 1. Sequentially supplied to the recording unit.
In this embodiment, the case where the information processing apparatus is the ink jet printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to other information processing apparatuses such as a copying machine or a facsimile. Nor.

The ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment is a front feed / discharge type printer, and as shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus main body 3 is roughly divided into an upper housing 5 and a lower housing 7. A display unit 11 such as an indicator and an operation unit 13 such as a power switch are disposed on the left and right of the front surface of the apparatus body 3.
The upper housing 5 includes a paper pickup mechanism, a paper transport mechanism, an image recording unit, and the like (not shown), and discharges the paper on which the image is recorded in the image recording unit onto the paper discharge tray 9. A cassette mounting portion is opened below the paper discharge tray 9 in the lower housing 7, and the paper feed cassette 100 is detachably mounted on the cassette mounting portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper feed cassette 100 according to the present embodiment is generally formed in a flat rectangular box-like structure having an open upper surface, and the inkjet printer 1 from the front end face 100 a side. It is inserted and installed in the cassette mounting part. When the paper feed cassette 100 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, the rear end surface 100b is exposed on the front surface of the inkjet printer 1 as shown in FIG.

  When the paper feed cassette 100 is properly mounted on the cassette mounting portion of the inkjet printer 1, the pickup roller of the pickup mechanism installed in the inkjet printer 1 is pressed against the uppermost sheet surface in the stacked state, and the driving force of the pickup roller causes The accommodated sheets are sent out one by one from the topmost sheet sequentially to the image recording unit via the sheet transport mechanism in the inkjet printer 1.

  The sheet feeding cassette 100 according to the present embodiment includes a main case 23 whose upper surface and rear end are opened, and a rear end wall 25a that covers a rear end opening portion of the main case 23, and a case on the rear end side of the main case 23. A sub case 25 slidably connected along the front-rear direction (the arrow X direction in FIG. 2), and a lock means 27 that restricts the position of the sub case 25 so that it cannot slide relative to the main case 23 are provided. . In the sheet feeding cassette 100, the size in the front-rear direction of the sheet storage space 21 formed by the cooperation of the main case 23 and the sub case 25 can be changed by a sliding operation of the sub case 25 with respect to the main case 23. It has become.

  The main case 23 includes a bottom wall 23a on which paper is placed, a front end wall 23b erected on the front end of the bottom wall 23a, and left and right side walls 23c and 23d erected on both side ends of the bottom wall 23a. It is formed in a box structure with the top and rear ends open. The front surface of the front end wall 23b is the front end surface 100a of the paper feed cassette 100 described above.

  On the bottom wall 23a of the main case 23, a pair of left and right guide plates 31 and 32 constituting the side end guide mechanism 30 are arranged in the width direction of the paper (arrow Y direction in FIG. 2) accommodated in the paper accommodating space 21 by the slide mechanism 33. ) Is movably supported. The pair of guide plates 31 and 32 extend along the front-rear direction of the case, and align the side end positions of the sheets stored in the sheet storage space 21.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slide mechanism 33 includes a pair of guide grooves 24a and 24b formed in the bottom wall 23a so as to extend in the paper width direction, and the pair of guide grooves 24a and 24b. A pair of rack members 34 and 35 that can be fitted and moved in the paper width direction are provided, and a pinion gear 36 with which the rack teeth of these rack members 34 and 35 mesh. The pinion gear 36 is rotatably supported by a pivot 36a that is suspended from the bottom wall 23a. Further, the outer end portions of the pair of rack members 34 and 35 are fixed to the guide plates 31 and 32.
That is, the slide mechanism 33 has a configuration in which a pair of rack members 34 and 35 are disposed opposite to each other with a single pinion gear 36 interposed therebetween, and moves one of the pair of guide plates 31 and 32 that are opposed to each other. The other also moves in conjunction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the sub case 25 has a first bottom that is overlaid on a substantially rectangular recess 23 g having a predetermined depth formed on the rear end surface of the bottom wall 23 a of the main case 23. The wall 25b, a rear end wall 25a erected at the rear end of the first bottom wall 25b, and extended from both ends of the rear end wall 25a so as to overlap the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 23c and 23d of the main case 23 A pair of left and right second bottom walls 25e provided to be connected to the left and right side walls 25c and 25d, the lower ends of both sides of the rear end wall 25a and the lower ends of the left and right side walls 25c and 25d and overlapping the back surface of the bottom wall 23a of the main case 23. (Refer to FIG. 4), and has a substantially box structure with the upper surface and front end open.
The sub case 25 is slidable along the front-rear direction of the case by sandwiching the bottom wall 23a of the main case 23 between the first bottom wall 25b and the second bottom wall 25e. It is connected to the rear end.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a guide pin 25 f that fits into a guide hole 23 h formed in the bottom wall 23 a of the main case 23 projects from the lower surface of the first bottom wall 25 b of the sub case 25. ing.
The guide hole 23h is a long hole extending along the case front-rear direction. The fitting between the guide pin 25f and the guide hole 23h prevents the sub case 25 fitted to the rear end of the main case 23 from falling out of the main case 23, and the sub case 25 with respect to the main case 23 in the case front-rear direction. The sliding range is set.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the state where the guide pin 25f is in contact with the front end of the guide hole 23h is a state where the rear end wall 25a of the sub case 25 is closest to the front end surface 100a of the paper feed cassette 100. The paper feed cassette 100 is in the most compact state.
Further, as shown in FIG. 22 described later, when the guide pin 25f is in contact with the rear end of the guide hole 23h, the rear end wall 25a of the sub case 25 is farthest from the front end surface 100a of the paper feed cassette 100. In this state, the sheet storage space 21 of the sheet feeding cassette 100 is expanded to the maximum extent.

In the case of the present embodiment, the paper storage space 21 partitioned and formed by the cooperation of the main case 23 and the sub case 25 is stored in the paper storage space 21 in a stacked state as shown in FIGS. A rear end guide mechanism 38 for positioning the rear end position of the paper is provided.
As shown in FIG. 17, the rear end guide mechanism 38 has edge guide grooves 45 and 46 formed in the bottom wall 23 a of the main case 23 and the first bottom wall 25 b of the sub case 25 along the longitudinal direction of the case. A case support portion 39 that is slidably supported so as to be position-adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the case, and a guide portion main body 40 that is erected on the case support portion 39.

  The guide portion main body 40 has a tapered surface 40a that abuts the rear end of the paper and regulates the position of the rear end of the paper. The inclination of the tapered surface 40a is set corresponding to the tapered surface 23e formed on the inner surface of the front end wall 23b shown in FIG. These tapered surfaces 23e and 40a shift the front edge of the stacked sheets one by one forward to facilitate the feeding (separation) of the sheet P by the pickup roller.

Furthermore, the guide part main body 40 has a lock lever 41 extending in the vertical direction. The lock lever 41 is pivotable about a substantially middle portion by pressing and urging the upper portion forward of the case (leftward in FIG. 18), and an engagement tooth 41a is provided at the lower end portion. Is formed.
On the other hand, a pair of locking tooth rows 42 are formed along both sides of the edge guide grooves 45, 46 on the bottom surfaces of the bottom wall 23 a of the main case 23 and the first bottom wall 25 b of the sub case 25.

  Then, the engaging teeth 41a of the lock lever 41 provided on the guide portion main body 40 mesh with the pair of locking tooth rows 42, whereby the guide portion main body 40 is positioned and fixed with respect to the paper feed cassette 100, and is not fixed. Prepared movement is prevented. Further, the guide teeth main body 40 is formed by pressing and urging the upper portion of the lock lever 41 to the front of the case until the engagement teeth 41a formed at the lower end are disengaged from the locking tooth row 42. It becomes slidable.

Further, a sheet pressing member 47 that applies a pressing load onto the stacked sheets in the vicinity of the rear end of the sheet P is attached to the rear end guide mechanism 38.
The sheet pressing member 47 is a roller member that presses and urges the uppermost sheet P in the stacked state and is rotatable in the feeding direction of the sheet P. As shown in FIGS. It is rotatably supported by a roller holder 43 that is rotatably supported by the guide body 40.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the roller member serving as the sheet pressing member 47 is supported by the roller holder 43 with the central axis line directed in the sheet width direction (girder direction). The sheet pressing member 47 is formed of a rubber material having a large friction coefficient with respect to the sheet P.
As shown in FIG. 17, the roller holder 43 includes a shaft portion 43a that is rotatably fitted to a bearing portion 40b formed on the upper end of the guide portion main body 40 on the proximal end side, and a sheet pressing member 47 on the distal end side. It is supported rotatably.

That is, since the paper pressing member 47 is a roller member that is rotatable in the feeding direction of the paper P, the movement of the paper P is regulated with a large frictional resistance in the paper width direction that is the rotation axis direction of the roller member. In the paper feeding direction of the pickup mechanism, the frictional resistance force to the paper P becomes extremely small as the roller member itself rotates.
Therefore, it is useful for preventing the paper from lifting up without placing a burden on the paper feeding by the pickup mechanism of the inkjet printer 1.

In the present embodiment, a spring member 52 is attached to the shaft portion 43 a of the roller holder 43. The spring member 52 is a torsion coil spring and rotationally biases the roller holder 43 so that the paper pressing member 47 provided at the tip of the roller holder 43 contacts the paper P with a predetermined pressing load.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pressing load that acts on the paper P from the paper pressing member 47 is set by the elastic biasing force of the spring member 52 and the weight of the roller holder 43 and the paper pressing member 47.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the lock means 27 of the present embodiment includes a rotation fulcrum 51 that is rotatably supported by the rear end portion of the sub case 25, and the main case 23 side from the rotation fulcrum 51. A pair of lock arms 53 extending in the direction of the main case 23 by turning to one side (lower side in FIG. 9) of the lock arms 53 provided on the lock arms 53. A first lock portion 55 that engages with the portion 23 i to restrict the sliding of the sub case 25, and a second lock on the main case 23 side that is provided on the lock arm 53 and pivots to one side of the lock arm 53. A second locking portion 56 that engages with the locking portion 23j (see FIG. 16) and restricts the sliding of the sub case 25, and extends from the rotation fulcrum 51 in a direction different from that of the locking arm 53. To rotate in the unlocking direction. The lock arm 53 is locked by the lever 57, the drop prevention hook 58 mounted on the upper surface of the support hook 25g formed integrally with the first bottom wall 25b of the sub case 25, and the rear end guide mechanism 38 moving backward. A rear end guide interlocking portion 59 (see FIGS. 18 and 19) that rotates in the release direction is a lever member that is integrally formed by press forming a metal plate.

  The rotation fulcrum 51 is formed by forming a metal plate into a downwardly convex semicircular cross section, and is rotatably disposed on a support shelf 25h protruding from the inner surface of the rear end wall 25a of the sub case 25. . As shown in FIG. 9, the support shelf 25 h protrudes at a position lower than the first bottom wall 25 b of the sub case 25.

  The lock arm 53 extends forward from the case substantially horizontally along the first bottom wall 25b of the sub-case 25 from the rotation fulcrum 51 placed on the support shelf 25h. The operation lever 57 puts the rotation fulcrum 51 on the support shelf 25h, and puts the lock arm 53 in the gap between the first bottom wall 25b and the recess 23g of the bottom wall 23a. It is assembled.

In the state where the lock means 27 is assembled to the sub case 25, as shown in FIG. 11, the drop-off prevention hook 58 is placed on the support hook 25g of the sub case 25, so that the position shift to the front side is prevented. Falling down is prevented.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first locking portion 23i is a circular engagement hole formed on the bottom surface of the recess 23g of the bottom wall 23a. The first lock portion 55 is a columnar boss portion that projects from the lower surface of each lock arm 53. The first lock portion 55 engages with the first locking portion 23i when the rear end wall 25a of the sub case 25 is closest to the front end surface 100a of the paper feed cassette 100, and the sub case 25 is The position is regulated so as not to slide rearward.

The second locking portion 23j is a step portion formed at the rear end of the recess 23g of the bottom wall 23a of the main case 23.
As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the lock arm 53 has a bent portion 53 a in the middle, and the tip end is lowered slightly from the base end side.
When the sub case 25 is moved rearward at the front end portion of the lock arm 53 to expand the sheet accommodation space 21, the second lock portion 56 is engaged with the guide hole 23h and the guide pin 25f. As shown in FIG. 16, when the relative displacement is allowed up to the maximum retracted position, the second lock portion 56 falls into the second locking portion 23j, and the second lock portion 56 is By contacting the step of the locking portion 23j, the position of the sub case 25 is restricted so that it cannot be displaced relative to the front.

The operation lever 57 is provided to extend substantially vertically upward from the rotation fulcrum 51 along the rear end wall 25a of the sub case 25. The operation lever 57 is provided slightly inclined forward.
When the operating lever 57 is tilted backward (in the direction of arrow Z in FIG. 7A), the entire locking means 27 rotates about the rotation fulcrum 51 as a fulcrum. When the lock arm 53 is rotated upward by this rotation, the engagement between the first locking portion 23 i and the first locking portion 55, the second locking portion 23 j and the second locking portion 56, Is disengaged, and the sub case 25 is in an unlocked state in which the sub case 25 can slide within the allowable movement range by the guide hole 23h.

  In the case of this embodiment, the lock arm 53 of the lock means 27 is rotated to one side (downward), and the first and second lock portions 55 and 56 are moved to the first and second locking portions 23i and 23j. The length of the lock arm 53, the dimensions of other parts, and the like are set so that the rotational moment M1 (see FIG. 7A) that maintains the engaged state is generated by the weight of the lock means 27. Since the locking means 27 is a lever member integrally formed by press forming a metal plate, it can be easily formed, and the specific gravity can be increased to increase the rotational moment M1 of the lock arm 53.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 16, the first bottom wall 25 b of the sub case 25 is urged to turn the lock arm 53 of the lock means 27 to one side to turn the first and second lock portions. A flexible lock piece 26 is integrally formed to maintain 55 and 56 engaged with the first and second locking portions 23i and 23j, respectively.
Thereby, in addition to the dead weight of the locking means 27, the elastic force of the flexible lock piece 26 causes the first and second lock portions 55, 56 of the lock arm 53 to become the first and second locking portions 23i, 23j. Since the respective engaged states can be maintained, it is possible to prevent the engagement of the lock portion from being inadvertently released due to vibration during attachment and detachment. Further, since the flexible lock piece 26 is integrally formed with the sub case 25, the number of components of the lock means 27 does not increase.

Next, an operation for expanding the sheet accommodation space 21 by sliding the sub case 25 will be described.
First, the state shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 11 in which the first lock portion 55 is engaged with the first locking portion 23 i and the sub case 25 is positioned so as not to move relative to the main case 23. Then, when the operation lever 57 is tilted rearward, the first locking portion 55 and the first engagement are caused by the rotation behavior around the rotation fulcrum 51 of the lock means 27 as shown in FIG. The engagement with the portion 23i is released, and the sub case 25 is brought into the unlocked state in which the sub case 25 can slide backward.
In the state where the operation lever 57 is tilted rearward, as shown in FIG. 13, the drop-off prevention hook 58 is lifted from the support hook 25g.

When the sub case 25 is pulled rearward in the unlocked state in which the engagement between the first lock portion 55 and the first locking portion 23i is released, the sub case 25 is moved to the main as shown in FIGS. The paper storage space 21 is gradually expanded by being relatively displaced rearward with respect to the case 23.
When the sub case 25 is pulled backward until the guide pin 25f comes into contact with the rear end of the guide hole 23h, the sheet accommodation space 21 is expanded to the maximum extent.

  At this time, when the backward tilting of the lock means 27 is released, the lock arm 53 is rotated downward by the elastic urging force of the flexible lock piece 26 and the rotational moment due to its own weight as shown in FIG. The second lock portion 56 provided at the tip of 53 is engaged with the second locking portion 23j, and the sub case 25 is in a locked state in which the position is restricted so as not to slide forward.

In the locked state shown in FIG. 16, when the lock means 27 is tilted backward again, the lock arm 53 rotates upward, and the engagement between the second lock portion 56 and the second locking portion 23j is released. Thus, the subcase 25 can slide forward.
When the sub case 25 is slid forward until the guide pin 25f comes into contact with the front end of the guide hole 23h in the unlocked state in which the engagement between the second lock portion 56 and the second locking portion 23j is released, Returning to the state shown in FIG. When the backward tilt of the operation lever 57 is released in this state, the lock means 27 causes the lock arm 53 to rotate downward by the elastic urging force of the flexible lock piece 26 and the rotational moment due to its own weight, so that the first lock The portion 55 engages with the first locking portion 23i and returns to the locked state shown in FIG.

Further, in the case of the paper feed cassette 100 of the present embodiment, the lock state 27 is released from the locked state without the operation of tilting the operation lever 57 of the lock unit 27 backward, and the rear end guide mechanism 38 described above. It is also possible to engage the part with the locking means 27.
As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the rear end guide mechanism 38 is located at the most rear (the rear end wall 25 a of the sub case 25) at the front end of the case support 39 in the rear end guide mechanism 38 of the present embodiment. When it is pulled down to the vicinity, a lock release portion 39a that contacts the tip of the rear end guide interlocking portion 59 of the lock means 27 is formed.

  The lock release portion 39a has a tapered surface 39b on which the rear end guide interlocking portion 59 rides when pressed against the front end of the rear end guide interlocking portion 59. As shown in FIG. 19, when the rear end guide interlocking portion 59 rides on the tapered surface 39b of the unlocking portion 39a, the locking means 27 is thereby rotated rearward so that the locked state can be switched to the unlocked state. .

  Therefore, the rear end guide mechanism 38 is moved rearward to engage the lock release portion 39a with the rear end guide interlocking portion 59 to bring the lock means 27 into the unlocked state. By moving the rear end guide mechanism 38 and the sub case 25 together, the rear end guide mechanism 38 and the sub case 25 slide in the rear of the case, and the paper storage space 21 can be expanded.

  When the sub case 25 moves in conjunction with the movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism 38 and the guide pin 25f of the sub case 25 contacts the rear end of the guide hole 23h, the rear end guide mechanism 38 is moved slightly forward. And set it at the trailing edge positioning position of the specified sheet. Then, the engagement between the lock releasing portion 39a and the rear end guide interlocking portion 59 is released, and the lock arm 53 is rotated downward by the elastic urging force of the flexible lock piece 26 and its own weight, as shown in FIG. The second lock portion 56 provided at the tip of the lock arm 53 is in a locked state in which the second lock portion 23j is engaged with the second lock portion 23j.

  Accordingly, the movement operation of the sub case 25 when the paper storage space 21 is expanded can be linked to the movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism 38, and the movement operation of the sub case 25 and the movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism 38 can be performed. Eliminates the need for individual implementation. As a result, the operation at the time of expansion of the sheet storage space 21 can be simplified and the operability can be improved.

In the case of the paper feed cassette 100 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the paper storage space 21 when the sub case 25 is retracted to the front of the case to the maximum is, for example, A4 size paper or less. The positions of the guide plates 31 and 32 and the rear end guide mechanism 38 are adjusted according to the paper size.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 20 to 24, the paper storage space 21 when the sub case 25 is pulled out to the rear side of the case to the maximum is the one for stacking and storing Legal size paper larger than A4 size. The positions of the guide plates 31 and 32 and the rear end guide mechanism 38 are adjusted to the maximum.

  That is, according to the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment described above, when printing on a paper having a size smaller than the A4 size, the sub case 25 is moved in the direction of reducing the paper accommodating space 21, As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, by setting the paper feed cassette 100 compact, the amount of protrusion of the paper feed cassette 100 from the ink jet printer 1 can be reduced, and the ink jet printer 1 can be easily installed. Can do.

  Further, when printing on a Legal size paper larger than A4 size, the paper storage space 21 of the paper feed cassette 100 may be expanded and the paper stored in the paper feed cassette 100 may be replaced with Legal size paper. By installing only one paper feed cassette 100, it is possible to process paper of different sizes.

  Further, according to the paper feed cassette 100 of the above-described embodiment, the lock means 27 that restricts the movement of the sub case 25 after adjusting the expansion / contraction of the paper storage space 21 by the movement operation of the sub case 25 is caused by the rotational moment M1 that acts by its own weight. The lock arm 53 rotates to one side (downward side), and the first and second lock portions 55 and 56 of the lock arm 53 are moved to the first and second locking portions 23 i and 23 j on the main case 23. These are lever members that maintain the engaged state, and are realized by a simple component configuration that does not use a separate spring member. Thus, the cost of the paper feed cassette 100 can be reduced by reducing the number of components of the lock means 27.

  Further, in the paper feed cassette 100 of the present embodiment, the movement operation of the sub case 25 when the paper storage space 21 is expanded can be interlocked with the movement operation of the rear end guide mechanism 38. It is not necessary to perform the moving operation of the rear end guide mechanism 38 separately. As a result, it is possible to simplify the operation at the time of expansion of the sheet storage space 21 and improve the handleability.

The configurations of the main case, the sub case, the lock means, the rotation fulcrum, the lock arm, the lock portion, the operation lever, the rear end guide mechanism, and the like in the paper feed cassette of the present invention are limited to the configurations of the above embodiments. However, it goes without saying that various forms can be adopted based on the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the first and second lock portions 55 of the lock arm 53 are prevented by the elastic force of the flexible lock piece 26 in order to prevent the engagement of the lock portion from being inadvertently released. , 56 are maintained in a state of being engaged with the first and second engaging portions 23i, 23j, respectively, but the flexible lock piece 26 is omitted, and the locked state is achieved only by the weight of the lock means 27. It is also possible to maintain.

1 is an overall perspective view of an inkjet printer equipped with a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding cassette in a contracted state illustrated in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding cassette in a contracted state illustrated in FIG. It is the A section enlarged view of FIG. (A) is the perspective view from the front side of the locking means used for the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 2, (b) is a perspective view of the locking means seen from an angle different from (a). It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is CC sectional drawing of FIG. It is the D section enlarged view of FIG. It is EE sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the state which tilted the locking means shown in FIG. 10 to the lock release side. It is sectional drawing of the state which tilted the locking means shown in FIG. 11 to the lock release side. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lock case shown in FIG. 13 is pulled forward while being tilted to the unlocking side, and the sub case starts to be displaced. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the locking means shown in FIG. 14 is pulled forward while being tilted to the unlocking side and the displacement of the sub case is further advanced. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the sub case shown in FIG. 14 has been completely displaced to a predetermined position. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a rear end guide mechanism shown in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the operation | movement which the lock release part of the rear-end guide mechanism shown in FIG. 2 engages with the rear-end guide interlocking | linkage part of a locking means. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the operation | movement which the lock release part of the rear-end guide mechanism shown in FIG. 2 engages with the rear-end guide interlocking | linkage part of a locking means. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding cassette viewed from diagonally upward on the front side when the locking means is tilted by operation of the rear end guide mechanism and the case size is maximized. FIG. 21 is a plan view of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. 20. It is a bottom view of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the right side surface diagonally downward of the paper feed cassette shown in FIG. It is the F section enlarged view of FIG. It is GG sectional drawing of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer (information processing apparatus), 3 ... Apparatus main body, 9 ... Paper discharge tray, 21 ... Paper accommodation space, 23 ... Main case, 23a ... Bottom wall, 23b ... Front end wall, 23c, 23d ... Side wall, 23h ... Guide hole, 23i ... first locking portion, 23j ... second locking portion, 25 ... sub case, 25a ... rear end wall, 25b ... first bottom wall, 25c, 25d ... side wall, 25e ... second 25f ... guide pin, 25g ... support hook, 25h ... support shelf, 26 ... flexible lock piece, 27 ... locking means, 30 ... side end guide mechanism, 31, 32 ... guide plate, 33 ... slide mechanism, 38 ... Rear end guide mechanism, 39 ... Case support portion, 39a ... Lock release portion, 39b ... Tapered surface, 40 ... Guide body, 40a ... Tapered surface, 40b ... Bearing portion, 43 ... Roller holder, 45,46 ... Edge guide , 47 ... Paper pressing member, 51 ... Rotation fulcrum, 53 ... Lock arm, 55 ... First lock part, 56 ... Second lock part, 57 ... Operation lever, 58 ... Hook for preventing dropout, 59 ... Rear end Guide interlocking unit, 100 ... paper feed cassette, 100a ... front end face, 100b ... rear end face

Claims (6)

A main case that is detachably attached to the information processing apparatus from the front end side, and a rear end wall that covers a rear end opening portion of the main case, and slides along the case front-rear direction to the rear end side of the main case A sub case that is freely connected, and a locking means that restricts the position of the sub case so as not to slide relative to the main case,
The size of the paper storage space defined by the main case and the sub case is a paper feed cassette that can be changed by a sliding operation of the sub case with respect to the main case,
The lock means is pivotally supported by the sub case so as to be pivotable, a lock arm extending from the pivot fulcrum toward the main case, and a lock arm provided on the lock arm. A lock portion that engages with a locking portion on the main case side by rotation to one side and restricts sliding of the sub case, and extends from the rotation fulcrum in a direction different from the lock arm and the lock A lever member provided with an operation lever for rotating the arm in the unlocking direction;
The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 1, wherein a rotating moment for rotating the lock arm to one side and maintaining the lock portion engaged with the locking portion is generated by the weight of the lever member.   A rear end guide mechanism for regulating the position of the rear end of the paper stored in the paper storage space is provided to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the case, and a part of the rear end guide mechanism is associated with the locking means. 2. The paper feed cassette according to claim 1, wherein the sub case is slidable in conjunction with the rear end guide mechanism by rotating together in the unlocking direction.   The lock arm extends from the pivot fulcrum along the bottom wall of the sub case, and the operation lever extends from the pivot fulcrum along the rear end wall of the sub case. The paper feed cassette according to 1 or 2.   The flexible lock piece integrally formed with the sub case maintains the state in which the lock portion is engaged with the locking portion by urging the lock arm to one side. Item 4. The paper feed cassette according to any one of Items 1 to 3.   The sheet feeding cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lever member is integrally formed by press molding of a metal plate.   An information processing apparatus comprising the paper feed cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images