JP2010089885A - Paper feeding cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeding cassette without requiring to secure an exclusive space for storing a stopper when not in use, in the paper feeding cassette for detachably arranging the stopper for checking the movement of an end guide. <P>SOLUTION: This paper feeding cassette 1 has a cassette body 3 for storing recording paper 2 to be supplied to an image forming device by delivering by a paper feeding roller 5, a guide groove 12 arranged by forming an inside bottom surface 11 of the cassette body 3 in a recessed shape, the end guide 6 slidably arranged along the guide groove 12, fixed in a predetermined position and positioning a recording paper end part, and the stopper 7 installed inside the guide groove 12, checking the movement in the inverse direction of the paper feeding direction of the end guide 6 and positioning its uppermost part on the same plane as or lower than that of the inside bottom part 11 of the cassette body 3 while being installed inside the guide groove 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feed cassette that is provided in a main body of a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, or the like so as to be able to be pulled out and stores a recording paper, and in particular, a guide member for positioning an end of the recording paper is a recording paper. The present invention relates to a paper feed cassette that is slidable according to the paper size.

  Printers, copiers, facsimiles, and the like are equipped with an image forming apparatus that forms images such as characters and graphics on recording paper based on image data read from an original or image data received by facsimile, and recording supplied to the image forming apparatus A paper feed cassette for storing paper is provided in the apparatus main body so that it can be pulled out. An end guide for positioning the recording paper at a predetermined position by holding the rear end in the paper feeding direction of the recording paper to be stored is provided inside the paper feeding cassette. The end guide is provided so as to be slidable in the paper feeding direction so as to be compatible with a plurality of paper sizes, and includes a fixing mechanism for fixing at a predetermined position corresponding to the rear end of the standard size recording paper in the paper feeding direction. Yes. Thus, for example, when storing A4 size recording paper in the paper feed cassette, the user slides the end guide to the specified position of A4 size and fixes it using the fixing mechanism, and then matches the position of the end guide. By placing the recording paper in this way, the recording paper can be stored in a state of being positioned inside the paper feed cassette.

  In such a sheet feeding cassette, a stopper for preventing the end guide from moving away from the specified position is detachably provided separately from the fixing mechanism for fixing the end guide at the specified position. is there. For example, in the paper feed cassette described in Patent Document 1, when an attachment as a stopper is attached to the bottom of the paper feed cassette, the attachment prevents the end guide from moving, and the attachment itself holds the end of the recording paper. By playing a role, it is possible to position recording paper having a paper size smaller than the standard size in the paper feed cassette. A storage space for storing the attachment is provided at a position away from the end guide in the inside of the paper feed cassette, and when the attachment is not used, it is stored so as not to be lost.

JP 2002-362757 A

  However, in the conventional paper feed cassette, since it is necessary to provide a storage space for the stopper, there is a problem that the cost increases due to the complicated shape of the mold used at the time of molding. There is also a problem that the strength of the paper feed cassette is reduced by providing a storage space for the stopper.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and in a paper feed cassette in which a stopper for preventing the movement of the end guide is detachably provided, it is dedicated for storing the stopper when not in use. A paper feed cassette that does not require space is provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, a paper feed cassette according to the present invention comprises a cassette main body for storing recording paper to be fed by a paper feed roller to be supplied to the image forming apparatus, and a concave inner surface of the cassette main body. A guide groove formed and provided, slidable along the guide groove, fixed at a predetermined position and positioned at the end of the recording paper, and mounted inside the guide groove and positioned as described above The guide is prevented from moving in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction, and the uppermost portion of the guide is located on the same plane as or lower than the inner bottom surface of the cassette body when mounted in the guide groove. And a stopper.

  In the paper feeding cassette according to the present invention, the guide groove is provided so as to extend in parallel with the paper feeding direction.

  In the sheet feeding cassette according to the present invention, the stopper is mounted in a state where the height is equal to or less than the groove depth of the guide groove and is in contact with the bottom of the guide groove.

  Further, the paper feed cassette according to the present invention is characterized in that the stopper has a lateral width equal to or smaller than a groove width of a back side groove provided in a concave shape on the back side of the cassette body.

  According to the paper feed cassette of the present invention, the uppermost position of the stopper mounted in the guide groove is located on the same plane as or below the inner bottom surface of the cassette body. Even if paper is placed, the stopper does not interfere with the recording paper. Thereby, there is no problem in holding the recording paper by the positioning guide and feeding out the recording paper by the paper feed roller. Therefore, the stopper when not in use can be stored in the guide groove, and it is not necessary to separately secure a space for storing the stopper in the cassette body. Thereby, the shape of the mold used for molding the cassette body can be simplified to reduce the cost, and the strength of the cassette body is not lowered by providing a storage space.

  Further, according to the paper feed cassette according to the present invention, since the guide groove extends in parallel with the paper feed direction, the stopper attached to the guide groove moves in the direction opposite to the paper feed direction of the positioning guide. It can be surely prevented.

  In addition, according to the paper feed cassette according to the present invention, since the height of the stopper is equal to or less than the groove depth of the guide groove, even if the stopper is attached in contact with the bottom portion of the guide groove, the entire stopper is the guide groove. The stopper is not protruded above the inner bottom surface.

  Further, according to the paper feed cassette according to the present invention, since the lateral width of the stopper is equal to or less than the groove width of the back side groove, the stopper when not in use can be accommodated not only in the guide groove but also in the back side groove. Thereby, a larger number of stoppers can be held simultaneously.

  First, the configuration of a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The paper feed cassette according to this embodiment is mounted on the main body of a printer, copier, facsimile, or the like, and supplies four types of standard size recording papers A4, A5, B4, and B5 to the image forming apparatus. is there. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a paper feed cassette 1 according to the present embodiment, and a recording paper 2 is indicated by a dotted line. The paper feed cassette 1 includes a cassette main body 3 in which resin or the like is molded into a box shape, a bottom plate 4 installed at the bottom of the cassette main body 3, and a bottom plate 4 downstream of the cassette main body 3 in the paper feeding direction. , An end guide (positioning guide) 6 slidably provided in the cassette body 3 in the sheet feeding direction, and between the end guide 6 and the cassette body 3. And a pair of side guides (positioning guides) 8 slidably provided in the drawer direction inside the cassette body 3.

  The cassette body 3 is for storing the recording paper 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the cassette body 3 is provided with a front cover 9 on the front side in the pulling direction, and is provided with a pair of left and right legs 10 that protrudes toward the rear side in the pulling direction. When the paper feed cassette 1 is mounted on the main body of the apparatus such as a printer, each leg portion 10 is slid along a guide rail (not shown) provided on the main body side of the apparatus, thereby It is designed to be inserted inside the device body.

  Further, a guide groove 12 for guiding the slide of the end guide 6 is formed in the cassette body 3 by forming a part of the bottom surface 11 in a concave shape. The guide groove 12 extends from the central portion of the cassette body 3 in the sheet feeding direction, and the end thereof is constituted by an end wall surface 13 of the cassette body 3. Here, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view in which the vicinity of the end wall surface 13 is enlarged in FIG. The guide groove 12 is provided with guide fixing portions 14 for fixing the end guide 6 at four locations along the paper feeding direction. The guide fixing portion 14 is formed by slightly denting the left and right side walls 15 of the guide groove 12 so that the groove width is wider than other portions. The four types of standard size recording paper 2 are cassettes. When stored in the main body 3, the recording paper 2 of each size is formed at a position where the rear end in the paper feeding direction is located. Particularly, the B4 size guide fixing portion 14 is formed at the end of the guide groove 12. Then, characters such as “B4”, “A4”, “B5”, and “A5” are provided at positions facing each guide fixing portion 14 so that the user can identify which paper size the guide fixing portion 14 corresponds to. Each is displayed. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a guide convex portion 16 for guiding the end guide 6 is provided in the center portion in the width direction of the guide groove 12 so as to extend in the paper feeding direction. In this case, an insertion groove 17 for attaching the end guide 6 and the stopper 7 is provided through the cassette body 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a guide groove 18 for guiding the slide of the side guide 8 is formed on the inner bottom surface 11 of the cassette body 3 so as to extend in the pull-out direction. The guide groove 18 is provided with guide fixing portions 19 for fixing the side guides 8 at four locations along the pull-out direction, and the position facing each guide fixing portion 19 represents the corresponding paper size. Characters are displayed.

  The bottom plate 4 is for placing the recording paper 2 thereon. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 1, the bottom plate 4 is provided so that the downstream end can swing up and down with the upstream end as a fulcrum in the paper feeding direction, and between the cassette body 3 and the bottom plate 4. It is urged upward by an interposed urging spring. As a result, when the stack of recording papers 2 is placed on the bottom plate 4 and the paper feed cassette 1 is closed, the bottom plate 4 swings upward so that the uppermost paper in the stack of recording papers 2 is fed. The state is brought into pressure contact with the paper roller 5.

  The paper feed roller 5 is for feeding out the recording paper 2 stored in the cassette body 3 and supplying it to a conveyance path (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed roller 5 includes a roller shaft 20 made of metal or the like, and a roller body 21 made of resin or the like fixed at a predetermined interval along the roller shaft 20. The paper feed roller 5 configured as described above is rotatably supported at the end of the cassette body 3 on the downstream side in the paper feed direction, and the roller shaft 20 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown). The According to this paper feed roller 5, the roller main body 21 pressed against the uppermost paper of the recording paper 2 feeds the uppermost paper as the roller shaft 20 rotates, and the bottom plate 4 swings to move to the next uppermost paper. By repeating the operation in which the paper is pressed against the roller body 21, the recording paper 2 is sequentially fed out from the cassette body 3. In this embodiment, the paper feed roller 5 is provided inside the paper feed cassette 1, but it may be provided on the apparatus main body (not shown).

  The end guide 6 is for positioning the recording paper 2 at a predetermined position of the cassette body 3 by holding the rear end of the recording paper 2 in the paper feeding direction. Here, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the end guide 6. 2 and 3, the end guide 6 includes a slider member 22 that slides along the guide groove 12, a recording paper holding member 23 that holds the rear end of the recording paper 2 in the paper feeding direction, and a recording paper holding member. A pressing spring 24 that presses the member 23 and a pair of left and right snap arms 25 provided on the side of the slider member 22 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slider member 22 has a substantially L shape in a side view, and is provided with a pair of left and right rotation support shafts 26 projecting sideways from the uppermost portion thereof. The rotation support shaft 26 is for supporting the recording paper holding member 23 so as to be rotatable, and has a substantially cylindrical shape.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the recording paper holding member 23 has a flat recording paper receiving surface 27 that receives the rear end of the recording paper 2 in the paper feeding direction, and a left and right side on which the rotation support shaft 26 of the slider member 22 is fitted. A pair of support shaft fitting grooves 28 is provided. In the recording paper holding member 23 configured as described above, the rotating support shafts 26 are respectively fitted in the left and right support shaft fitting grooves 28 with the recording paper receiving surface 27 facing the paper feeding direction. Thus, the rotary support shaft 26 is attached to the slider member 22 so as to be rotatable about the fulcrum.

  The pressing spring 24 is a so-called coil spring, and is provided between the slider member 22 and the recording paper holding member 23 as shown in FIG. Thus, when no external force is applied, the recording paper holding member 23 stops at a reference position 29 where the pressing spring 24 does not expand or contract, that is, a position where the recording paper receiving surface 27 is slightly inclined from the vertical state.

  According to such a configuration of the end guide 6, even when the bottom plate 4 is swung, the bundle of recording papers 2 placed thereon can be held so as not to collapse. That is, when the number of recording sheets 2 is large, the bottom plate 4 swings to lower the downstream end in the sheet feeding direction against the urging force of the urging spring due to the weight, and the state is almost horizontal. It becomes. At this time, since the recording paper holding member 23 receives a large pressure from the recording paper 2, the recording paper holding member 23 rotates clockwise from the reference position 29 shown in FIG. 3 to the position 30 shown in FIG. 4 against the pressing force of the pressing spring 24. It moves and becomes almost vertical. As a result, the recording paper holding member 23 uniformly holds the rear end in the paper feeding direction of all the recording papers 2 in a state where the recording paper receiving surface 27 forms an angle of about 90 ° with respect to the bottom plate 4. . On the other hand, as the number of recording sheets 2 decreases, the bottom plate 4 swings so as to raise its downstream end in the sheet feeding direction by the biasing force of the biasing spring. At this time, since the pressure received from the recording paper 2 gradually decreases, the recording paper holding member 23 rotates counterclockwise by the pressing force of the pressing spring 24. Thereby, even if the bottom plate 4 is swung, the recording paper receiving surface 27 of the recording paper holding member 23 is kept at an angle of about 90 ° with respect to the bottom plate 4, and the feeding direction of all the recording paper 2 Since the trailing edge is held uniformly, the bundle of recording papers 2 does not collapse, and the uppermost paper remains pressed against the paper feed roller 5.

  The snap arm 25 is for easily fixing or releasing the end guide 6 with the guide fixing portion 14 of the guide groove 12. The snap arm 25 is a beam-shaped member made of resin or the like formed in a substantially L shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the snap arm 25 has a predetermined width on the side of the slider member 22 constituting the end guide 6. It arrange | positions with the clearance gap 31 opened, the both ends are bent, and are connected to the slider member 22, respectively. Here, the interval between the left and right snap arms 25 is slightly wider than the groove width of the guide groove 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, fitting protrusions 32 having a shape to be fitted to the guide fixing portion 14 of the guide groove 12 are provided on the lowermost portion of the outer surface of each snap arm 25 so as to protrude sideways. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the end guide 6 provided with the snap arms 25 on both the left and right sides as described above is guided in the state in which the snap arms 25 are bent inward and the distance between the snap arms 25 is reduced. 12, and slides along the guide groove 12 in a state where each fitting projection 32 is pressed against the left and right side walls 15 of the guide groove 12 by the elastic force of each snap arm 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the end guide 6 reaches the guide fixing portion 14 of the guide groove 12, and as described above, the guide fixing portion 14 is formed so that the groove width is wider than other portions. Each snap arm 25 spreads outward by its own elastic force and returns to a shape without bending. At this time, the end guides 6 are fixed so as not to move by fitting the fitting protrusions 32 to the guide fixing portions 14 respectively. Further, when the left and right snap arms 25 are grasped and bent inward from the state where the end guide 6 is fixed, each fitting protrusion 32 is detached from each guide fixing portion 14 and the end guide 6 is released from being fixed. Therefore, the end guide 6 can be slid away from the guide fixing portion 14. In FIG. 6, the snap arm 25 in an undeflected state is indicated by a dotted line.

  The stopper 7 is for preventing the end guide 6 from moving in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction from the guide fixing portion 14. More specifically, the end guide 6 is fixed at the position of each guide fixing portion 14 by the elastic force of the snap arm 25 as described above. However, the fixing by the snap arm 25 alone may cause an end due to an impact when placing a bundle of recording papers 2 inside the paper feed cassette 1 or due to an impact when closing the paper feed cassette 1 pulled out from the apparatus body. The guide 6 may be unfixed. In this case, when the rotation is started in a state in which the paper feed roller 5 provided on the front end side in the paper feed direction of the recording paper 2 is pressed against the recording paper 2, the recording paper 2 receiving the force from the paper feeding roller 5 is Both the end guides 6 in the unlocked state move in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction. When the recording paper 2 is separated from the paper supply roller 5, there arises a so-called no-feed problem that the recording paper 2 is not fed out even if the paper supply roller 5 rotates. Therefore, in order to prevent this no-feed problem, a mechanism is required in which the end guide 6 is not released even when the impact is applied. In the present invention, the stopper 7 is used to prevent the end guide 6 from moving in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction, so that the end guide 6 is not released from being fixed even when subjected to an impact.

  Here, FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 are views showing the configuration of the stopper 7, FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view seen from the front side, FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view seen from the back side, and FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view. . The stopper 7 is a member formed by molding resin or the like. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the stopper 7 is provided with a substantially box-shaped stopper main body 33 having an opening on one side, and protruding from the back surface of the stopper main body 33. And three inserted pieces 34 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the stopper main body 33 is provided with a pair of left and right grips 35 that protrude laterally from the uppermost portion thereof. Further, a pair of left and right drop-off prevention portions 36 are provided at the lowermost portion of the stopper main body 33 so as to protrude downward. The drop-off prevention part 36 is formed so that its protruding height is substantially equal to the height of the guide convex part 16 shown in FIG. 2, and the separation distance between the left and right drop-off prevention parts 36 is substantially equal to the lateral width of the guide convex part 16. Is formed. Furthermore, three substantially rectangular viewing windows 37 are formed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction at the center of the stopper body 33 in the width direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, each viewing window 37 is formed at a position slightly shifted left and right from the center in the width direction of the stopper main body 33.

  The height of the stopper body 33 configured in this way, that is, the distance from the upper surface 38 to the bottom surface 39 of the drop-off preventing portion 36 is not larger than the groove depth of the guide groove 12 shown in FIG. Is formed. The stopper main body 33 is formed so that its length is substantially equal to the distance from the end wall surface 13 of the cassette main body 3 shown in FIG. 1 to the guide fixing portion 14 for A4 size. Furthermore, the stopper main body 33 is formed such that the lateral width thereof, that is, the distance between the tips of the left and right grip portions 35 is smaller than the groove width of the guide groove 12 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the insertion piece 34 projects from the inner edge of the three viewing windows 37 on the back surface of the stopper body 33 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the back surface of the stopper body 33. And the hook-shaped claw part 40 is each provided in the front-end | tip of each insertion piece 34 so that it may protrude to the visual recognition window 37 side. Here, as described above, among the three viewing windows 37, the viewing window 37 located at the center and the two viewing windows 37 located at both ends are located on the opposite sides across the center in the width direction of the stopper main body 33. Therefore, the claw portions 40 at the tips of the insertion pieces 34 located at the center and the two insertion pieces 34 located at both ends of the three insertion pieces 34 are opposite to each other. Further, since the claw portion 40 protrudes toward the viewing window 37 side, as shown in FIG. 9, when the stopper 7 is viewed from above, the claw portion 40 of the insertion piece 34 on the back side is passed through each viewing window 37. It can be visually recognized.

  The pair of side guides 8 are for positioning the recording paper 2 at predetermined positions on the cassette body 3 by holding the left and right ends of the recording paper 2 in the paper feeding direction. As shown in FIG. 1, each side guide 8 includes a slider member 41 that slides along the guide groove 12 and a recording paper holding member 42 that holds an end of the recording paper 2 in the paper feeding direction. Although the details of the side guides 8 configured in this way are not shown in the drawing, the positions of the side guides 8 can be fixed at the guide fixing portions 19 provided in the guide grooves 12.

  Next, the operation and effect when the stopper 7 according to the present invention is not used and used will be described. First, the case where the stopper 7 is not used will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the end guide 6 is fixed to the guide fixing portion 14 for B4 size, the back surface of the slider member 22 constituting the end guide 6 is the end wall surface 13 of the cassette body 3. Therefore, the end guide 6 cannot move in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction. In this state, even if an impact or the like is applied when closing the paper feed cassette 1, the problem of no feed does not occur. Therefore, it is not necessary to use the stopper 7 to prevent the end guide 6 from moving. In this case, the stopper 7 that is not used is housed in a position closer to the paper feed direction than the end guide 6 inside the guide groove 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stopper 7 is stored by attaching the stopper 7 to the guide convex portion 16 provided at the bottom of the guide groove 12. When attaching the stopper 7, with the front side facing up, grasp the left and right grips 35, hold the stopper 7, and insert the three insertion pieces 34 projecting from the back side into the insertion groove 17 of the guide projection 16. The stopper 7 is placed on the guide convex portion 16 so that the stopper main body 33 covers the guide convex portion 16 while being inserted. At this time, as described above, the claw portions 40 of the respective insertion pieces 34 on the back side can be visually recognized from the three viewing windows 37 formed on the stopper main body 33. When inserting into the insertion groove 17, the work can be easily performed while confirming the positional relationship between the insertion piece 34 and the insertion groove 17 through the visual recognition window 37.

  Here, FIG. 10 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the stopper 7 is attached to the guide convex portion 16, and shows a CC cross section in FIG. Although the details are not shown in the drawing, each insertion piece 34 is inserted into the insertion groove 17 so as to be slightly bent, and when the claw portion 40 passes through the insertion groove 17, it returns to its original shape without bending as shown in FIG. 10. The claw portion 40 is caught on the edge portion of the insertion groove 17. Further, as described above, the insertion piece 34 located at the center of the three insertion pieces 34 and the two insertion pieces 34 located at both ends are opposite to each other, so that the claw portions 40 are opposite to each other. The insertion piece 34 has its claw 40 hooked on the left edge as viewed in FIG. 10, while the two insertion pieces 34 located at both ends have their claw 40 located on the right edge as viewed in FIG. Get caught. As a result, the stopper 7 is less likely to drop off from the guide protrusion 16 regardless of whether the lateral impact is applied in the left or right direction.

  Further, as described above, the stopper 7 is formed so that the separation distance between the left and right drop-off prevention portions 36 is substantially equal to the lateral width of the guide convex portion 16. Therefore, when the stopper 7 is attached as shown in FIG. The prevention part 36 is located in the both right and left sides so that the guide convex part 16 may be pinched | interposed. Thereby, even if an impact or the like is applied, the stopper 7 is unlikely to be laterally displaced or dropped. Further, the drop-off prevention part 36 is formed so that its protruding height is substantially equal to the height of the guide convex part 16 shown in FIG. 2, so that when the stopper 7 is attached as shown in FIG. 10, the stopper main body shown in FIG. The longitudinal end portion 44 of 33 contacts the upper surface of the guide convex portion 16, and the bottom surface 39 of each drop-off preventing portion 36 contacts the bottom portion of the guide groove 12. Thereby, the stopper 7 is installed in a stable state, and rattling with respect to an action such as an impact can be reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the stopper 7 is entirely attached to the inside of the guide groove 12 while being attached to the guide convex portion 16. That is, as described above, the height of the stopper 7, that is, the distance from the upper surface 38 of the stopper body 33 to the bottom surface 39 of the drop-off preventing portion 36 is a length equal to or less than the groove depth of the guide groove 12. Therefore, the stopper 7 attached to the guide convex portion 16 is located at the uppermost portion, in this embodiment, the upper surface 38 of the stopper main body 33 is on the same plane as or below the bottom surface 39 of the cassette main body 3. . Thus, even if the B4-sized recording paper 2 is placed on the bottom plate as shown in FIG. 2, the stopper 7 accommodated in the guide groove 12 does not interfere with the recording paper 2 as shown in FIG. There is no problem in holding the recording paper 2 by the end guide 6 or the side guide 8 and feeding out the recording paper 2 by the paper feed roller 5.

  In this embodiment, when the stopper 7 is mounted inside the guide groove 12, the bottom surface 39 of the drop-off preventing portion 36 is mounted so as to contact the bottom of the guide groove 12, so that the uppermost portion of the stopper 7 is the cassette body. The height was set to be equal to or less than the groove depth of the guide groove 12 so as not to protrude above the bottom surface of 3. However, the height of the stopper 7 is not limited to this depending on how the stopper 7 is attached to the guide groove 12. For example, although not shown in detail in the figure, when the stopper 7 is mounted so as to be placed on the guide convex portion 16, the uppermost portion of the stopper 7 is the cassette body in consideration of the height of the guide convex portion 16. It is necessary to set the height of the stopper 7 appropriately so that it does not protrude above the bottom surface of 3.

  Thus, since the stopper 7 according to the present invention can be stored inside the guide groove 12 when not in use, it is not necessary to separately secure a space for storing the stopper 7 in the cassette body 3. Therefore, since the shape of the mold used for molding the cassette body 3 can be simplified, the cost can be reduced and the strength of the cassette body 3 is not lowered by providing a separate storage space.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the stopper 7 when not in use may be stored in an existing back side groove 45 provided on the back side of the cassette body 3. In this case, the lateral width of the stopper main body 33, that is, the distance between the tips of the left and right grips 35 needs to be equal to or smaller than the groove width of the back-side groove 45. In this way, by allowing the stopper 7 to be stored not only in the guide groove 12 but also in the back-side groove 45 on the back side, the sheet feeding cassette 1 can hold a larger number of stoppers 7 at the same time.

  Next, the use of the stopper 7 will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing the usage state of the stopper 7, and is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the end wall surface 13 in FIG. 1. When the end guide 6 is fixed to the A4 size guide fixing portion 14, if the end guide 6 is released due to impact or the like, there is a possibility that the problem of no-feed may occur. A stopper 7 is mounted between the end wall surface 13 of the cassette body 3 and the end guide 6 so that it cannot move in the opposite direction.

  The stopper 7 is attached by attaching the stopper 7 to the guide protrusion 16 as shown in FIG. The mounting to the guide convex portion 16 is different in mounting position from the mounting to the guide convex portion 16 when the stopper 7 is stored, but the mounting procedure and the operational effects are the same, so the description is omitted here. . When the stopper 7 is mounted between the end wall surface 13 and the end guide 6, the length of the stopper body 33 is substantially equal to the distance from the end wall surface 13 to the A4 size guide fixing portion 14 as described above. One end in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 7 is in contact with the end wall surface 13 and the other end in the longitudinal direction is in contact with the end guide 6. As a result, the end guide 6 is prevented from moving in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction by the stopper 7, so that the problem of no feed does not occur.

  Although the stopper 7 according to the present embodiment is configured to correspond to the guide fixing portion 14 for A4 size, it is made to correspond to the other guide fixing portions 14 by appropriately changing the length of the stopper main body 33. It is also possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when the guide fixing portion 14 for B5 size is used, the length of the stopper main body 33 is substantially equal to the distance from the end wall surface 13 to the guide fixing portion 14 for B5 size. What is necessary is just to form. Although not shown in detail in the drawing, the same applies to the guide fixing portion 14 for A5 size.

  Furthermore, the stopper 7 can prevent the end guide 6 from moving in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction when in use, and the stopper 7 is entirely housed in the guide groove 12 when not in use. As long as the size fits inside, the shape is not limited to this embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. Further, the storage position of the stopper 7 in the guide groove 12 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. 1, and can be any position on the paper feed direction side from the end guide 6.

  The stopper according to the present invention may be accommodated not only in the guide groove for the end guide but also in the guide groove for the side guide.

1 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a paper feed cassette 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The partial expansion perspective view which expanded the vicinity of the edge part wall surface 13 in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of an end guide 6. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect of the end guide 6. FIG. The figure which shows the AA cross section in FIG. The figure which shows the BB cross section in FIG. The schematic perspective view which looked at the stopper 7 from the front side. The schematic perspective view which looked at the stopper 7 from the back side. The schematic plan view of the stopper 7. FIG. The figure which shows CC cross section in FIG. The schematic perspective view which looked at the cassette main body 3 from the back side. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the use condition of the stopper 7, Comprising: The figure which expanded the vicinity of the edge part wall surface 13 in FIG. It is the schematic perspective view which shows the use condition of the stopper 7 which concerns on another Example, Comprising: The figure which expanded the vicinity of the edge part wall surface 13 in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feed cassette 2 Recording paper 3 Cassette main body 5 Paper feed roller 6 End guide (positioning guide)
7 Stopper 8 Side guide (Positioning guide)
11 Internal bottom surface 12 Guide groove 14 Guide fixing part

Claims (4)

A cassette main body for storing recording paper to be fed by the paper feed roller and supplied to the image forming apparatus;
A guide groove provided by forming a concave inner bottom surface of the cassette body;
A positioning guide provided so as to be slidable along the guide groove and fixed at a predetermined position to position the end of the recording paper;
The guide groove is mounted in the guide groove to prevent the positioning guide from moving in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction, and the uppermost portion of the guide groove is mounted in the guide groove and the inner bottom surface of the cassette body. A stopper located on the same plane or below it,
A paper feed cassette characterized by comprising:   The paper feed cassette according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove is provided so as to extend in parallel with a paper feed direction.   The paper feed cassette according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is mounted in a state where a height thereof is equal to or less than a groove depth of the guide groove and is in contact with a bottom portion of the guide groove.   3. The sheet feeding cassette according to claim 1, wherein a width of the stopper is equal to or less than a groove width of a back-side groove provided in a concave shape on the back side of the cassette body. 4.

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