JP2008001516A - Post-processing device for image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a post-processing device for an image forming apparatus allowing adjustment of height of a receiving port of the post-processing device, with relatively simple structure, and in which the post-processing device can be easily separated from the image forming apparatus when needed in the case of paper clogging or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A device main body 11 of the post-processing device 2 has: the receiving port 12 disposed to one side wall part of the device main body and receiving paper sheets P delivered from a delivery port 10 of the image forming apparatus 1; and a device main body side wheel support part disposed below the receiving port and rotatably supporting the wheels 18 for moving. A height adjustment base 20 for adjusting vertical height of the receiving port 12 is attachable to a lower part of the device main body 11. A base side wheel support part is disposed to a lower part of the height adjustment base 20, so that the wheels 18 supported by the main body side wheel support part is removed from the device body 11, and the wheels 18 can be attached to the based side wheel support part of the height adjustment base 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  According to the present invention, the apparatus main body of the post-processing apparatus includes a receiving port for receiving paper discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus on one side wall portion thereof, and a main body side that rotatably supports a moving wheel at a lower portion thereof The present invention relates to a post-processing device of an image forming apparatus provided with a wheel support.

Normally, the height of the outlet of the image forming apparatus and the inlet of the post-processing apparatus are set to be the same. For example, when the image forming apparatus is replaced with another model of higher grade In order for the discharge port of the image forming apparatus to be higher than the previous discharge port and to use the same post-processing device, it is necessary to adjust the height of the receiving port of the post-processing device.
In view of this, conventionally, there has been proposed a structure in which a receiving member forming a receiving port of the post-processing apparatus is configured to be movable up and down with respect to the post-processing apparatus (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Further, the hook provided on the post-processing apparatus side is inserted into the mounting hole provided on the side wall of the image forming apparatus, and is dropped and locked downward. The post-processing apparatus is held on the side wall of the image forming apparatus, and A configuration in which the receiving port is adjusted to the same height level as the discharging port of the image forming apparatus is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2005-89170 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-35907

However, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to configure only the vertical lifting mechanism of the receiving member or the sheet conveyance path connected to the receiving member so as to correspond to the vertical lifting of the receiving member. However, there is a problem that the structure is considerably complicated and the number of parts is large, and accordingly, the cost is increased and the weight of the post-processing apparatus is increased.
In the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the post-processing apparatus is securely locked and held with respect to the image forming apparatus, the sheet is placed near the inlet of the post-processing apparatus or the outlet of the image forming apparatus. When the clogging occurs, the post-processing apparatus cannot be easily separated from the image forming apparatus.
That is, according to Patent Document 2, a special spring caster unit is used to facilitate the attachment and detachment of the post-processing device to the image forming apparatus, so that the operator can lift the post-processing device with a small force. However, in any case, it is necessary to lift the post-processing device, and it is difficult to separate the post-processing device from the image forming device, and the height difference between the discharge port and the receiving port is also considered. There is also a problem that it is limited to a certain range.

  The present invention pays attention to such conventional problems, and its purpose is to enable the height adjustment of the receiving port of the post-processing apparatus with a relatively simple configuration, and due to the occurrence of paper jam, etc. An object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus that can be easily detached when it is necessary to separate the post-processing apparatus from the image forming apparatus.

  In the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, the apparatus main body of the post-processing apparatus is provided with a receiving port for receiving paper discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus on one side wall portion thereof, and a moving wheel is rotated at the lower part thereof. A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus having a body-side wheel support portion that is freely supported, and a height adjustment base for adjusting the vertical height of the receiving port can be attached to the lower portion of the apparatus body. The height adjustment stand is provided with a stand-side wheel support portion at a lower portion thereof, and the wheel supported by the main body-side wheel support portion is removed from the apparatus main body, and the height adjustment stand is on the stand side of the height adjustment stand It exists in the place comprised so that attachment to a wheel support part is possible.

According to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, the height adjustment stand for adjusting the vertical height of the receiving port of the post-processing apparatus is provided so as to be attachable to the lower part of the apparatus main body of the post-processing apparatus. Even for an image forming apparatus having a high discharge port height, an adjustment table with an appropriate height is attached to the lower part of the main body of the post-treatment device, so that the receiving port of the post-processing device can be Can be adjusted to the same height level.
For example, when the height level of the discharge port varies depending on the model of the image forming apparatus, the post-processing device is set to correspond to the image forming apparatus having the lowest discharge port, and a plurality of adjustment tables having different heights are set. If prepared, all types of image forming apparatuses can be supported without being restricted by the height difference between the discharge port and the receiving port.
Then, the height adjustment table includes a table-side wheel support part at the lower part thereof, and the wheel supported by the body-side wheel support unit of the post-processing device is removed from the device body of the post-processing device, and the height adjustment table is Since it is configured to be attached to the side wheel support section, the height of the post-processing device can be adjusted by diverting the wheel of the post-processing device to a height adjustment stand while reducing the number of parts and costs and reducing weight. Even a post-processing apparatus with a base can be easily separated from the image forming apparatus.

  According to a second feature of the present invention, the main body side wheel support portion includes a main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion that receives the axle of the wheel and a support member that supports the axle located in the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion from below, A main body side axle guide portion connected to the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion is opened at the bottom of the apparatus main body, and the support member can be switched between a support posture for supporting the axle and a non-support posture for releasing the support of the axle. It is in the place where is configured.

  According to the second characteristic configuration of the present invention, the main body side wheel support portion includes a main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion that receives the wheel axle and a support member that supports the axle located in the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion from below, A main body side axle guide portion connected to the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion is opened at the bottom of the apparatus main body, and the support member is configured to be switchable between a supporting posture for supporting the axle and a non-supporting posture for releasing the support of the axle. Therefore, when removing the wheel supported by the main body side wheel support part from the main body and attaching it to the base side wheel support part of the height adjustment stand, if the support member is switched to the non-supporting posture, it is attached to the axle and it. Since the wheel thus moved moves toward the lower opening through the main body side axle guide portion by its own weight, it can be easily removed from the bottom opening of the apparatus main body.

  According to a third characteristic configuration of the present invention, the table-side wheel support portion includes a table-side vehicle bearing insertion portion that receives an axle of the wheel, and the table-side axle guide portion connected to the table-side vehicle bearing insertion portion includes the device main body. Corresponding to the main-body-side axle guide portion opened at the bottom portion, the upper portion of the height adjustment base is open.

  According to the third characteristic configuration of the present invention, the pedestal wheel support portion includes a pedestal side vehicle bearing insertion portion that receives the axle of the wheel, and the pedestal side axle guide portion that is connected to the pedestal side vehicle bearing insertion portion is Corresponding to the main body side axle guide part opened at the bottom, since it is opened at the top of the height adjustment table, the apparatus main body of the post-processing device is placed on the height adjustment table, and the second As described in the characteristic configuration, when the support member is switched to the non-supporting posture, the axle and the wheel pass through the main body side axle guide part and further through the base side axle guide part toward the base side car bearing entrance. Since it moves, in addition to removing the wheel from the post-processing device, it is possible to easily attach the wheel to the height adjusting table.

  According to a fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention, an operating tool for operating a support member of the main body side wheel support portion is provided on the height adjusting table, and the height adjusting table is attached to a lower portion of the apparatus main body. The operation tool is configured to switch the support member from a support posture to a non-support posture.

  According to the fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention, the operation tool for operating the support member of the main body side wheel support portion is provided on the height adjusting table, and the height adjusting table is attached to the lower part of the apparatus main body. Since the operation tool is configured to switch the support member from the support position to the non-support position, it is not necessary to manually operate the operation tool one by one, and the main body of the post-processing apparatus on the height adjustment stand Can be easily removed from the post-processing device and attached to the height adjusting table.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the present invention, the height adjustment stand includes a leg portion capable of height adjustment at a lower portion thereof, and the stand-side wheel support is supported in a state where the height adjustment stand is lifted upward by the leg portion. It is in the place comprised so that the said wheel may be attached to a part.

According to the fifth characteristic configuration of the present invention, the height adjustment stand includes a leg portion that can be height-adjusted at a lower portion thereof, and the stand-side wheel is supported while the height adjustment stand is lifted upward by the leg portion. Since it is comprised so that a wheel may be attached to a part, a wheel can be attached to a stand side wheel support part using a leg provided in a height adjustment stand.
That is, when attaching a wheel to the stand side wheel support portion of the height adjustment stand, an operation such as lifting the height adjustment stand upward by the amount corresponding to the wheel attachment is required. In this case, for example, it is possible to lift another object under the height adjustment table, but without using such an object, use the legs provided on the height adjustment table. The wheel can be easily attached.

An embodiment of a post-processing apparatus of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is a copying machine or the like, and the post-processing apparatus 2 performs post-processing such as stapling and punching on the copied paper.
Since the image forming apparatus 1 is not particularly different from the conventional apparatus, a brief description will be given. The apparatus main body 3 formed in a substantially box shape optically reads an original image placed on the original placement portion 4. An image reading unit 5, an image forming unit 6 for transferring a document image read by the image reading unit 5 onto a sheet P, a fixing unit 7 for fixing a toner image transferred onto the sheet P, and a sheet storage for storing various sizes of sheets P A discharge belt provided on one side wall portion of the apparatus main body 3, in which a conveyance belt 9 that conveys the sheet P from the sheet storage unit 8 to the image forming unit 6 one by one is provided. 10 to be discharged.

The post-processing apparatus 2 includes an apparatus main body 11 formed in a substantially box shape, and a fixing-processed sheet P discharged from the discharge port 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 is received in one side wall portion of the apparatus main body 11. A receiving port 12 is provided, and the apparatus main body 11 has a transport path 13 for transporting the paper P received from the receiving port 12, and a transport destination switching operation for switching the transport destination of the paper P transported along the transport path 13. A post-processing unit 15 that performs various post-processing such as stapling processing and punching processing on the member 14 and the paper P is provided.
Then, on the side wall portion of the apparatus main body 11 on the side opposite to the receiving port 12, the paper P after the post-processing by the post-processing unit 15 or the paper P discharged without passing through the post-processing unit 15 is received. A paper tray 16 is provided, and a total of four wheels 18 for movement such as casters are provided at the lower portion of the apparatus main body 11 via a main body side wheel support portion 17 described later, as indicated by phantom lines on the left side of FIG. A total of eight pieces are attached in pairs or two.

Such an image forming apparatus 1 and a post-processing apparatus 2 generally have a discharge opening when the discharge port 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 and the receiving port 12 of the post-processing apparatus 2 are at the same level and are disposed adjacent to each other. 10 and the receiving port 12 are set so as to face each other in proximity.
However, for example, when the image forming apparatus 1 is replaced with another model having a higher grade, that is, the image forming apparatus 1 having a higher position of the discharge port 10, the post-processing of the right image forming apparatus 1 and the left virtual line in FIG. As apparent from the comparison of the apparatus 2, the discharge port 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 is higher than the receiving port 12 of the post-processing device 2. Therefore, in the present invention, the vertical height of the receiving port 12 is adjusted. The height adjustment stand 20 is used.
Several types of height adjustment tables 20 having different heights corresponding to the model of the image forming apparatus 1, that is, the height of the discharge port 10, are prepared. The post-processing device 2 is configured to be freely attachable to the lower portion of the apparatus main body 11, and a base-side wheel support portion 21, which will be described later, is provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the lower portion of the post-processing device 2. It has been.

The main body side wheel support portions 17 of the post-processing device 2 are respectively provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the device main body 11, and as shown in FIG. 2, the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 for receiving the axle 19 to which the wheels 18 are attached. 2 includes a main body side car bearing insertion portion 23 made of a notch which can be received by positioning the axle 19 in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2, and the main body side car bearing insertion portion 23 has a notch groove. A main body side axle guide portion 24 is provided continuously to the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23.
The main body side axle guide portion 24 is provided so as to hang straight down from the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 and open at the bottom portion of the apparatus main body 11. Therefore, the axle 19 extends from the bottom opening of the apparatus main body 11 to the main body. It may enter the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 through the side axle guide portion 24, or conversely, may exit from the bottom opening of the device main body 11 downward from the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 through the main body side axle guide portion 24. It is configured as possible.

The main body side wheel support portion 17 further includes a support member 25 that supports the axle 19, and the support member 25 is located near the boundary between the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 and the axle guide portion 24, as shown in FIG. As shown in (a), normally, the compression spring 26 protrudes into the main body side axle guide portion 24 and is elastically biased to a support posture A that supports the axle 19 located in the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 from below. ing.
When the support member 25 is retracted from the main body side axle guide portion 24 against the elastic force of the compression spring 26, the support member 25 is switched to the non-supporting posture B for releasing the support of the axle 19 as shown in FIG. For the switching operation, the lower surface of the support member 25 is configured as an inclined surface 25a, and an operation tool 27 for operating the support member 25 to the non-supporting posture B by acting on the inclined surface 25a. The upper surface of the support member 25 is fixed to the height adjusting table 20 and protrudes upward. The upper surface of the height adjustment table 20 is formed as an inclined surface 27 a corresponding to the inclined surface 25 a of the support member 25.

That is, when the apparatus main body 11 is placed on the height adjustment base 20 in order to attach the height adjustment base 20 to the lower portion of the apparatus main body 11 of the post-processing apparatus 2, each of the height adjustment bases 20 located near the four corners of the height adjustment base 20. The inclined surfaces 27 a of the operation tool 27 abut on the inclined surfaces 25 a of the respective support members 25 located in the vicinity of the four corners of the apparatus main body 11, so that the respective support members 25 are resisted against the elastic force of the compression springs 26 and are not supported. Force to move to the side.
On the other hand, the table-side wheel support portion 21 of the height adjustment table 20 includes a table-side vehicle bearing insertion portion 28 formed of a notch that can receive the axle 19, and a table-side axle guide portion that is continuous with the table-side vehicle bearing insertion portion 28. 29 is opened in the upper part of the height adjusting table 20 corresponding to the opening of the main body side axle guide part 24 at the bottom of the apparatus main body 11, so that the support member 25 is switched to the non-supporting posture B. The axle 19 falls downward due to its own weight and the weight of the wheel 18, and is guided to the pedestal side axle guide part 29 through the main body side axle guide part 24. The stand-side axle guide portion 29 is formed in an approximately L shape, and the upper surface of the horizontal portion is formed on an inclined surface 29a that is inclined toward the stand-side vehicle bearing insertion portion 28 side. As shown by the solid line, the axle 19 is guided to the vicinity of the base-side vehicle bearing insertion portion 28.

Therefore, if the leg portion 22 screwed into the lower part of the height adjustment table 20 is set to a predetermined length and the apparatus main body 11 of the post-processing apparatus 1 is placed on the height adjustment table 20, the above-described operation is performed. As described above, the operation tool 27 provided on the height adjustment base 20 switches the support member 25 to the non-supporting posture B, and the axle 19 to which the wheel 18 is attached is moved from the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 to the main body side axle guide portion. 24 and the pedestal side axle guide part 29 are guided to a position directly below the pedestal side car bearing insertion part 28.
Thereafter, when the length is shortened by screwing the leg portion 22 into the height adjustment base 20, as shown in FIG. 1, the wheel 18 comes into contact with the lowering of the height adjustment base 20, and (R) in FIG. ), The axle 19 enters the base side vehicle bearing insertion portion 28, and the wheel 18 supported by the main body side wheel support portion 17 of the post-processing device 2 is connected to the base side of the height adjustment base 20. The wheel support portion 21 is automatically replaced, and the receiving port 12 of the post-processing device 2 is adjusted to the same height level as the discharge port 10 of the image forming device 1.

〔The invention's effect〕
According to the present invention, by using the height adjustment stand 20, the receiving port 12 of the post-processing device 2 can be adjusted to the same height level as the discharge port 10 of the image forming device 1, and the height The support member 25 supporting the wheel 18 is switched from the support posture A to the non-support posture B only by placing the device main body 11 of the post-processing device 2 on the adjustment table 20. Removal of the wheel 18 and attachment of the wheel 18 to the height adjusting table 20 can be easily performed.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the previous embodiment, the example in which the operation tool 27 for switching the support member 25 from the support posture A to the non-support posture B of the wheel 18 is provided on the height adjustment stand 20 has been described. The operation tool 27 on the side can be eliminated, and a manual operation tool can be provided on the apparatus main body 11 side of the post-processing apparatus 2.

(2) In the previous embodiment, an example in which the main body side wheel support portion 17 of the post-processing device 2 is configured by the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion 23 and the support member 25 is shown. Similarly, various modifications can be made to the table-side wheel support portion 21 of the height adjusting table 20 as well.

Explanatory drawing of the side view which shows the post-processing apparatus of an image forming apparatus Explanatory drawing of the side view which shows the operation state of a main body side wheel support part and a stand side wheel support part

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Post-processing apparatus 10 Outlet 11 Apparatus body 12 of post-processing apparatus 12 Receiving port 17 Main body side wheel support part 18 Wheel 19 Axle 20 Height adjustment stand 21 Stand side wheel support part 22 Leg part 23 Main body side car bearing entrance Numeral 24 Main body side axle guide portion 25 Support member 27 Operation tool 28 Stand side vehicle bearing insertion portion 29 Stand side axle guide portion P Paper A Support posture B Non-support posture

Claims (5)

The apparatus main body of the post-processing apparatus includes a receiving port for receiving paper discharged from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus on one side wall portion thereof, and a main body side wheel support portion that rotatably supports a moving wheel at a lower portion thereof. A post-processing apparatus having an image forming apparatus,
A height adjustment stand for adjusting the vertical height of the receiving port is provided so as to be freely attachable to the lower portion of the apparatus main body, and the height adjustment stand includes a stand-side wheel support portion at the lower portion, A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus, wherein a wheel supported by the main body side wheel support section is detached from the apparatus main body, and is attachable to the base side wheel support section of the height adjusting table.   The main body side wheel support portion includes a main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion that receives the axle of the wheel and a support member that supports the axle located in the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion from below, and the main body side that is connected to the main body side vehicle bearing insertion portion The axle guide portion is opened at a bottom portion of the apparatus main body, and the support member is configured to be switchable between a support posture for supporting the axle and a non-support posture for releasing the support of the axle. Post-processing apparatus of image forming apparatus.   The main body side axle, wherein the base side wheel support portion includes a base side vehicle bearing insertion portion that receives the wheel axle, and a base side axle guide portion that is continuous with the base side vehicle bearing insertion portion is opened at a bottom portion of the apparatus main body. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is opened at an upper portion of the height adjustment table corresponding to the guide portion.   An operation tool for operating the support member of the main body side wheel support portion is provided in the height adjustment table, and as the height adjustment table is attached to the lower part of the apparatus main body, the operation tool is provided with the support member. The post-processing device according to claim 3, wherein the post-processing device is configured to switch from a support posture to a non-support posture.   The height adjustment stand includes a leg portion capable of height adjustment at a lower portion thereof, and is configured to attach the wheel to the stand-side wheel support portion in a state where the height adjustment stand is lifted upward by the leg portion. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a post-processing apparatus.

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