JP2010116257A - Paper sheet feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper sheet feeder capable of smoothly executing the operation for drawing and accommodating a paper feed cassette, realizing the correct positioning by reliably locking the paper feed cassette when it is accommodated, and achieving the favorable paper feed operation. <P>SOLUTION: A locking mechanism 20 has a handle 21 which can be gripped when drawing out/accommodating the paper feed cassette 2 and oscillated around a substantially horizontal spindle part 21a, a connection lever 23 to be oscillated similar to the handle 21 interlockingly with the motion of the handle 21, a slide plate 24 which is slidable interlockingly with the motion of the connection lever 23, and a hook member 26 which rotates interlockingly with the motion of the slide plate 24 and is engaged with an engagement part 28 provided on an image forming device body side in the paper feed cassette 2. The paper feed cassette 2 is locked not to be drawn out unless the handle 21 is operated, and the accommodating position can be kept thereby. The small motion of the handle 21 can be amplified into a large turnable motion of the hook member 26 by the effect of the slide plate 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper supply device such as a cut paper, which can be applied to an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine or a printer.

  The paper supply device is indispensable for feeding cut paper or the like in an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine or a printer. In a paper supply device in an image forming apparatus, a large number of sheets before printing are stored in advance in a paper storage unit such as a paper feed cassette or a paper feed tray, and one sheet is stacked from the top layer of the paper stacked in the paper storage unit. Many papers are supplied separately. Such a paper supply device is used for a cassette type paper feeding unit, a manual paper feeding unit, a document feeding unit, and the like of an image forming apparatus.

  Among these, the paper supply device provided in the cassette type paper supply unit is in a state in which the paper supply cassette as the paper storage unit can be pulled out / stored in the apparatus main body, that is, the image forming apparatus main body as described above. It is prepared for. By pulling out the paper feed cassette, it is possible to replenish paper in the interior and cope with troubles such as paper feed errors and paper jams.

  When the paper cassette that can be pulled out as described above is stored in the apparatus main body, it is necessary to accurately position and store the paper cassette. In addition, it is necessary to prevent the position of the paper feed cassette from easily shifting in the pull-out direction when an impact is applied to the device body due to a person or an object colliding. If neglected, the paper feeding operation will be disturbed, the paper transported from the paper cassette will be adversely affected, and the paper may be skewed, the edge of the paper may be bent, or paper jam may occur. is there. Therefore, it is desirable for the paper supply device to perform accurate and reliable positioning with respect to the paper feed cassette when stored.

In order to reliably perform the positioning when the paper cassette is stored, some paper supply devices are provided with a lock mechanism. Examples of the paper supply apparatus can be found in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In the image forming apparatus and the paper cassette described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a hook on the paper feed cassette side and a device main body side with respect to a paper feed tray or paper cassette (paper feed cassette) that can be pulled out / stored are provided. An engagement portion with which the hook is engaged is provided, and constitutes a lock mechanism.
JP 2006-76695 A (page 4-5, FIG. 2-3) Japanese Patent No. 2666104 (FIG. 1)

  In the paper supply device of the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the paper feed tray is used as a locking pin when pulled out and stored with respect to a locking pin having a circular cross section provided on the apparatus main body side. A locking lever (hook) having an inclined surface that comes into contact is provided, and the locking lever is rotated by rubbing the locking pin and the inclined surface to lock the paper feed tray. However, in this configuration, the locking lever is automatically rotated by pulling out and storing the paper feed tray, and cannot be directly and intentionally rotated by a human operation. As a result, there is a possibility that the paper feed tray pops out to the outside due to an impact or the like applied to the device body. In addition, since the latch lever has a slanted surface in contact with the latch pin, when the paper feed tray is stored, it may not be possible to reliably reach the storage position. There is a concern that there is. As a result, accurate positioning of the paper feed tray cannot be performed, and a problem may occur in paper supply.

  With respect to the paper cassette described in Patent Document 2, the paper cassette can be freely rotated with respect to the locking hole provided on the apparatus main body side by connecting the hook that is hooked to the locking hole when the paper cassette is stored to the handle. In preparation, the paper cassette is securely locked so that it cannot be moved without holding the handle. However, in this configuration, since the hook is directly connected to the handle, the handle itself needs to be greatly rotated in order to rotate the hook largely in order to securely lock / unlock. As a result, there is a concern that the rotation of the handle is insufficient, and accordingly, the rotation of the hook is also insufficient and the hook is caught in the locking hole, and the cassette cannot be pulled out. Further, in order to rotate the handle greatly, it is necessary to resist an urging member such as a spring for maintaining the locked state. Therefore, it is necessary to operate the handle with a large force, which may be troublesome.

  Further, since the hook is directly connected to the handle, it is necessary to provide a locking hole on the apparatus main body side in the vicinity of the handle. Therefore, a design failure occurs, and a hook having a shape sufficient to securely lock / unlock the cassette cannot be provided, or a lock mechanism configuration that may adversely affect the paper feeding operation may occur. There is a fear.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. Regarding a sheet cassette that can be pulled out / stored in the main body of the apparatus, the operation related to pulling out and storing is light, and it is intended to be securely locked when stored. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper supply device that realizes accurate and reliable positioning while preventing a jumping out and can perform a suitable paper feeding operation.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a paper supply including a paper feed cassette that can be pulled out / stored in a device main body, and a lock mechanism that locks the paper feed cassette in the device main body when stored. In the apparatus, the lock mechanism is for holding a hand on the paper feed cassette when the paper feed cassette is pulled out / stored, and a swingable handle, and in the same manner as the handle in conjunction with the movement of the handle. A swinging connection lever, a slide plate that slides in conjunction with the movement of the connection lever, and a hook that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the slide plate and engages with an engagement portion provided on the device body side And a member.

  In the paper supply apparatus having the above-described configuration, a first biasing member that biases the slide plate in the paper feed cassette locking direction and a second biasing member that biases the hook member in the paper feeding cassette lock direction. And an urging member.

  In the paper supply apparatus having the above configuration, the hook member rotates by rubbing an inclined surface provided on the hook member and an inclined surface provided on the slide plate.

  Further, in the paper supply apparatus having the above-described configuration, the lock mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed portion of the paper feed cassette that feeds the paper from the paper feed cassette to the outside.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, in the paper supply apparatus including the paper feed cassette that can be pulled out / stored in the device main body, and the lock mechanism that locks the paper feed cassette in the device main body when the paper cassette is stored, The lock mechanism is a handle that can be put on the paper feed cassette when the paper feed cassette is pulled out / stored, and a swingable handle, and a connection that swings similarly to the handle in conjunction with the movement of the handle. A lever, a slide plate that slides in conjunction with the movement of the connecting lever, and a hook member that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the slide plate and engages with an engagement portion provided on the apparatus main body side. As a result, the paper feed cassette can be held in the storage position so that it cannot be pulled out without operating the handle. The small movement of the handle can be amplified to a large rotational movement of the hook member by the action of the slide plate. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a hook member at an arbitrary position by adjusting the length of the slide plate. In this way, with regard to the paper feed cassette, the operations related to pulling out and storing are light, and it is securely locked during storage to achieve accurate and reliable positioning while preventing unintentional popping out. A paper supply apparatus capable of performing the operation can be provided.

  A first urging member that urges the slide plate in the paper feed cassette locking direction; and a second urging member that urges the hook member in the paper cassette locking direction. As a result, it is possible to further enhance the action of holding the paper feed cassette in the storage position when it is stored. Therefore, it is possible to improve the effect of performing accurate positioning by reliably locking the sheet cassette.

  Further, since the hook member is rotated by rubbing the inclined surface provided on the hook member and the inclined surface provided on the slide plate, the slide movement of the slide plate can be performed with a simple configuration. It can be converted into a rotational movement of the hook member. Furthermore, it is possible to arbitrarily set the rotation angle of the hook member by adjusting the angle of the inclined surface. Therefore, it is possible to more easily improve the operability related to the drawer / storage of the paper feed cassette, and to further enhance the effect of reliably locking the storage cassette during storage.

  In addition, since the locking mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the paper feeding location of the paper feeding cassette that feeds paper outward from the paper feeding cassette, positioning of the paper feeding cassette at the paper feeding location is performed. Further, it can be realized more accurately and reliably. Accordingly, it is possible to perform a more preferable sheet feeding operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, it is assumed that the paper supply apparatus of the present invention is designed to be disposed below the image forming apparatus as a device.

  First, the outline of the structure of the paper supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of the paper supply device, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper feed cassette provided in the paper supply device.

  A paper supply device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided in a lower part of an image forming apparatus (not shown) which is a device. The paper supply device 1 includes a paper feed cassette 2, a paper feed device 10, and a lock mechanism 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feed cassette 2 is formed in a flat box having an upper surface opened, that is, a tray shape, and stacks and accommodates sheets P such as cut paper before printing from the upper surface direction. . On the left and right side surfaces of the paper feed cassette 2, horizontal ridges 3 extending in the front-rear direction of the paper supply device 1 are provided substantially horizontally. By engaging the horizontal ridge 3 with a guide rail (not shown) provided on the inner side of the paper supply device 1, the paper feed cassette 2 is pulled out and stored horizontally with respect to the image forming apparatus main body. It is possible to

  A lift plate 4 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the paper feed cassette 2. The sheets P are stacked on the upper surface of the lift plate 4. The lift plate 4 is supported at its upstream end in the sheet feeding direction, that is, the left end in FIG. 1, on both side walls in the sheet width direction of the sheet feeding cassette 2 perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. The lift plate 4 can swing in a vertical plane along the sheet feeding direction with the support portion as a center and the downstream end as a free end.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a drive shaft 5 and a push-up member 6 for raising and lowering the lift plate 4 are provided at a portion of the paper feed cassette 2 corresponding to the lower portion of the lift plate 4 in the paper feed direction. ing.

  The drive shaft 5 extends from the central portion of the lift plate 4 in the paper width direction toward the back side of the paper feed cassette 2 in a substantially parallel manner. A push-up member 6 is provided at the end of the drive shaft 5 on the center side in the sheet width direction of the lift plate 4, and a joint (not shown) is provided at the end on the back side of the sheet feeding cassette 2. The push-up member 6 is fixed to the drive shaft 5 so as to protrude outward in the radial direction of the drive shaft 5. The drive shaft 5 protrudes outward from the back side of the paper feed cassette 2, and a joint portion is provided at this location.

  A lift motor (not shown) is provided at a location outside the paper feed cassette 2 and corresponding to the joint portion of the paper supply device 1. When the paper cassette 2 is stored, the joint portion of the paper cassette 2 is engaged with and connected to the lift motor. Thereby, the power of the lift motor can be transmitted to the drive shaft 5.

  With the above configuration, when the lift motor is operated, the drive shaft 5 is rotated. Then, the push-up member 6 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 while engaging the bottom surface of the lift plate 4 to push up the downstream end side of the lift plate 4. As a result, the lift plate 4 is displaced to the sheet feeding position shown in FIG. 1 where the uppermost layer of the stacked sheet bundle contacts the sheet feeding device 10 provided above the downstream portion of the sheet feeding cassette 2. The sheets P on the lift plate 4 are separated one by one by the sheet feeding device 10 and sent out to the outside of the sheet feeding cassette 2, that is, toward the upper right in FIG.

  When the sheet cassette 2 is pulled out, the connection with the lift motor side at the joint portion is released, and the lift plate 4 automatically falls on the inner bottom surface of the sheet cassette 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feeding device 10 includes a pickup roller 11, a paper feeding roller 12, and a separation roller 13.

  The pickup roller 11 is provided above the downstream portion of the lift plate 4. The downstream portion of the paper P loaded in the paper feed cassette 2 is lifted by the lift plate 4 pushed up by the lift motor, and the uppermost layer of the paper P contacts the pickup roller 11 from below. The uppermost layer of the sheet P is transferred to the sheet feeding roller 12 by the pickup roller 11 and is conveyed to the outside of the sheet feeding cassette 2 by the sheet feeding roller 12.

  The paper feed roller 12 is arranged on the downstream side of the pickup roller 11 so that the lower part of the surface protrudes into the paper transport path. The paper feed roller 12 is connected to a motor (not shown) and is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Note that the pickup roller 11 is not connected to a motor. A drive mechanism (not shown) for the pickup roller 11 is disposed between the paper feed roller 12 and the pickup roller 11, and the paper feed roller 12 and the pickup roller 11 are connected via this drive mechanism. When the paper feed roller 12 is rotated by the motor by the drive mechanism of the pickup roller 11, the pickup roller 11 is also rotated in the same direction as the paper feed roller 12.

  The separation roller 13 is provided below the paper feed roller 12. Further, the separation roller 13 is biased upward by the action of a biasing member (not shown) and is in contact with the paper feed roller 12. The paper P is inserted through a conveyance nip formed by the separation roller 13 and the paper feed roller 12 in contact with each other. A motor (not shown) is connected to the separation roller 13. Then, the separation roller 13 moves counterclockwise in FIG. 1, that is, in a direction in which the surface of the conveyance nip, which is the contact point with the paper feed roller 12, moves in the opposite direction with respect to the surface of the paper feed roller 12. The rotational force is acting.

  The separation roller 13 is provided with a torque limiter (not shown) between the shaft of the motor and the drive shaft of the motor. When the sheet P does not exist in the conveyance nip formed by the contact between the separation roller 13 and the sheet feeding roller 12 or when only one sheet P enters, the separation roller 13 has a torque greater than the torque set by the torque limiter. The separation roller 13 rotates in the direction of feeding the paper P to the outside of the paper feed cassette 2 according to the paper feed roller 12.

  However, when a plurality of sheets of paper P enter the conveyance nip, the torque applied to the separation roller 13 does not exceed the set torque of the torque limiter. Rotate in a direction to move in the opposite direction with respect to the surface of 12, that is, in a direction to return the overlapped lower sheet P to the sheet cassette 2. As a result, the overlapped lower side paper P is not sent out, so that it is possible to prevent the problem of double feeding in which the paper P is overlapped and sent.

  The paper feed cassette 2 includes a width direction cursor 7 and a length direction cursor 8 which are side walls contacting the side surface of the sheet bundle. The width direction cursor 7 can be moved according to the sheet width in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, and the length direction cursor 8 can be moved according to the sheet length in the sheet feeding direction. The width direction cursor 7 restricts movement of the paper in the width direction and the length direction cursor 8 restricts movement of the paper in the length direction so that the paper P loaded in the paper feed cassette 2 stays at a predetermined position. Is. In FIG. 2, the drawing of the length direction cursor 8 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lock mechanism 20 is provided on the right side of the sheet feeding cassette 2, that is, in the area near the sheet feeding position where the sheet P is fed from the sheet feeding cassette 2 to the outside. Is provided. The lock mechanism 20 functions when the paper feed cassette 2 is pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus and stored, and the paper feed cassette 2 can be locked or unlocked in the main body. Is possible.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the lock mechanism 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12 in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2. 3 is a perspective view of the lock mechanism, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged right side view of the lock mechanism, FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged top view of the lock mechanism, FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the lock mechanism as viewed from above, and FIG. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the downward direction of a mechanism. 8 is a perspective view of the slide plate of the lock mechanism, FIG. 9 is a top view of the slide plate, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the hook member of the lock mechanism, FIG. 11 is a top view of the hook member, and FIG. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lock mechanism 20 of the sheet cassette 2 includes a handle 21, a shaft 22, a connecting lever 23, a slide plate 24, a tension spring 25 as a first biasing member, a hook member 26, A torsion coil spring 27, which is a second urging member, and an engaging portion 28 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the handle 21 is disposed at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction on the front surface of the sheet feeding cassette 2. As shown in FIG. 3, a support shaft portion 21 a is provided on the upper left side surface of the handle 21 so as to extend substantially horizontally toward the left. A shaft 22 is provided at the upper part of the right side surface of the handle 21 so as to extend substantially horizontally toward the right. The shaft 22 is attached so as to be non-rotatable with respect to the handle 21 by aligning the axis with the support shaft portion 21a. The handle 21 is swingable within a vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction with the lower end as a free end around the axis of the support shaft portion 21 a and the shaft 22. The shaft 22 extends from the position of the handle 21 to a position corresponding to the right side surface of the paper feed cassette 2.

  The user can operate the handle 21 by inserting a finger from the lower side of the handle 21 to the back side of the handle 21 and pulling it forward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting lever 23 is disposed at a right end portion of the shaft 22 and corresponding to the right side surface of the sheet feeding cassette 2. The connecting lever 23 is configured to extend in the vertical direction, and the shaft 22 is attached to the upper portion of the connecting lever 23 so as not to rotate. The connecting lever 23 is swingable within a vertical plane extending in the front-rear direction with the lower end as a free end around the axis of the shaft 22. Therefore, the connecting lever 23 swings similarly to the handle 21 in conjunction with the movement of the handle 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, the slide plate 24 is disposed on the upper surface of a support plate 29 that is fixed to the outside of the right side surface of the paper feed cassette 2, corresponding to the connecting lever 23. The slide plate 24 is an elongated plate-like member whose main body portion 24 a is substantially horizontal, and is arranged so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the right side surface of the paper feed cassette 2.

  Below the slide plate 24, as shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, a locking pin 24b is provided. The locking pins 24b protrude downward from the bottom surface of the main body portion 24a, and two locking pins 24b are provided side by side in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 7, a long hole 29a is formed in the flat surface of the support plate 29 on which the slide plate 24 is placed so as to penetrate in the vertical direction and extend in the front-rear direction. The locking pin 24b is inserted into the long hole 29a. Are inserted. Since the tip of the locking pin 24b has a diameter larger than the width of the elongated hole 29a, the slide plate 24 is prevented from being detached from the support plate 29 and is not displaced in the vertical direction. The slide plate 24 is slidable only in the front-rear direction by the action of the locking pins 24b and the long holes 29a.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, a connecting portion 24 c is provided at the front end of the slide plate 24. The connecting portion 24c is disposed at a position corresponding to the connecting lever 23 and protrudes upward from the main body portion 24a. A connection protrusion 24d extending toward the left side, that is, toward the connection lever 23, is provided on the upper portion of the connection portion 24c. As shown in FIG. 4, the slide plate 24 is connected to the lower portion of the connection lever 23, that is, the portion below the attachment position of the shaft 22 by the connection protrusion 24 d.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, an engagement protrusion 24 e is provided at the rear end of the slide plate 24. The engagement protrusion 24e protrudes rightward. And the engagement protrusion 24e is provided with the inclined surface 24f inclined regarding the front-back direction in the location of the front side.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tension spring 25 as the first biasing member is provided between the slide plate 24 and the support plate 29. The tension spring 25 is disposed so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and urges the slide plate 24 slidable in the front-rear direction toward the rear. 6 and 7, the drawing of the tension spring 25 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the hook member 26 is a portion corresponding to the tip of the slide plate 24, and is disposed on the upper surface of the support plate 29 like the slide plate 24. The hook member 26 is a plate-like member that extends in the front-rear direction that is substantially horizontal.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the hook member 26 includes a support portion 26 a having an axis extending in the vertical direction at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction, and is supported by the support plate 29 by the support portion 26 a. . The hook member 26 is rotatable in a horizontal plane around the axis of the support portion 26a.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, an inclined surface 26 b is provided at the front end of the hook member 26. The inclined surface 26b is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the front-rear direction and to face substantially rearward. As shown in FIG. 5, when the hook member 26 and the slide plate 24 are arranged on the support plate 29, the inclined surface 26 b of the hook member 26 faces the inclined surface 24 f at the front end of the slide plate 24.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, a hook 26 c is provided at the rear end of the hook member 26. The hook 26c is formed in a hook shape facing rightward. Here, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, on the outer side of the right side surface of the paper feed cassette 2, the image forming apparatus main body side, that is, the inner wall of the paper supply apparatus 1, extends in the front-rear direction. A substantially vertical engagement plate 30 is fixed. The hook 26c engages with an engagement portion 28 provided so as to penetrate the engagement plate 30 in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the torsion coil spring 27 as the second urging member is provided between the hook member 26 and the support plate 29. The torsion coil spring 27 is arranged so that the support portion 26a of the hook member 26 is inserted into the coil portion. The torsion coil spring 27 attaches the hook member 26 that can rotate about the axis of the support portion 26a in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5, that is, toward the direction in which the hook 26c engages and locks the engagement portion 28. It is fast.

  Next, the lock / unlock operation of the paper feed cassette 2 by the lock mechanism 20 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 16 in addition to FIGS. 13 is a partially enlarged top view of the locking mechanism similar to FIG. 5 and shows a state in the middle of storing the paper feed cassette, and FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged top view of the locking mechanism similar to FIG. FIG. 15 is a partially enlarged right side view of the lock mechanism similar to FIG. 4, showing the unlocked state, and FIG. 16 is similar to FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged top view of the lock mechanism of FIG. 4 and 5 each show a locked state of the lock mechanism 20.

  When the paper cassette 2 is stored in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the user normally inserts the front panel of the paper cassette 2 by pushing the hand without touching the handle 21. Is in a state where no external force is applied. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 13, the hook member 26 tends to rotate clockwise as viewed from above by the action of the torsion coil spring 27. Note that the hook member 26 has its front end engaged with the rear end of the slide plate 24 and is prevented from rotating, so that the torsion coil spring 27 causes the hook member 26 to move clockwise beyond the position shown in FIG. It does not rotate.

  When the sheet feeding cassette 2 is further inserted in the storing direction, the engaging plate 30 of the hook member 26 comes into contact with the hook inclined portion 26d outside the hook 26c. Then, by the action of the hook inclined portion 26d, the hook member 26 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from above against the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 27 as shown in FIG. When the hook 26c comes into contact with the engagement plate 30, the hook member 26 is prevented from rotating clockwise. The sheet feeding cassette 2 moves in the storing direction for a while while rubbing the tip of the hook 26c of the hook member 26 against the side surface of the engagement plate 30 as it is.

  When the hook 26c reaches the position of the engaging portion 28, the hook member 26 rotates clockwise as viewed from above by the action of the torsion coil spring 27, and engages with the engaging portion 28 as shown in FIG. . By hooking the hook 26c to the engaging portion 28 in this way, the lock mechanism 20 can firmly lock the paper feed cassette 2.

  Next, when pulling out the paper feed cassette 2 with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, the user places a hand on the handle 21 and pulls out the paper feed cassette 2 forward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the lower portion of the handle 21 swings forward about the axis of the shaft 22. In conjunction with the movement of the handle 21, the lower portion of the connecting lever 23 swings forward as well as the handle 21.

  The slide plate 24 slidable only in the front-rear direction is coupled to the lower portion of the coupling lever 23 by the coupling portion 24 c, and therefore slides forward in conjunction with the movement of the coupling lever 23. At this time, the slide plate 24 moves forward against the elastic force of the tension spring 25 that urges the slide plate 24 rearward, that is, toward the paper feed cassette 2 locking direction.

  When the slide plate 24 is slid forward, the inclined surface 24f shown in FIG. 5 abuts on the inclined surface 26b of the hook member 26 opposed thereto at the rear end of the slide plate 24. When the slide plate 24 further moves, the inclined surface 24f and the inclined surface 26b are rubbed together, and the hook member 26 is seen from above against the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 27 as shown in FIG. It can be rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the engagement between the hook member 26 and the engaging portion 28 is released. Thus, the lock mechanism 20 can release the locked state of the paper feed cassette 2 by the user placing the hand on the handle 21 and operating it.

  As described above, the sheet feeding cassette 2 that can be pulled out and stored in the image forming apparatus main body, which is a device, and the lock mechanism 20 that locks the sheet feeding cassette 2 in the image forming apparatus main body when stored. In the paper supply apparatus 1, the lock mechanism 20 is for holding the paper cassette 2 when the paper cassette 2 is pulled out / stored, and is swingable about a substantially horizontal support shaft portion 21a. A handle 21, a connection lever 23 that swings in the same manner as the handle 21, a slide plate 24 that slides in conjunction with the movement of the connection lever 23, and the slide plate 24. A hook member 26 that rotates in conjunction with the movement and engages with an engaging portion 28 provided on the image forming apparatus main body side is provided. Therefore, the sheet feeding cassette 2 can be pulled out without operating the handle 21. So as not come, can be held in a retracted position. Then, due to the action of the slide plate 24, it is possible to amplify a small movement of the handle 21 to a large rotational movement of the hook member 26. Further, the hook member 26 can be provided at an arbitrary position by adjusting the length of the slide plate 24. In this way, the operation relating to the drawer and storage is light with respect to the paper feed cassette 2, and it is securely locked during storage to achieve accurate and reliable positioning while preventing unintentional popping out. It is possible to provide a paper supply device 1 capable of performing a paper operation.

  Further, a tension spring 25 which is a first urging member for urging the slide plate 24 in the sheet feeding cassette locking direction and a second urging member for urging the hook member 26 in the sheet feeding cassette locking direction. Since the torsion coil spring 27 is provided, the action of holding the paper feed cassette 2 in the storage position can be further enhanced. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the effect of performing the accurate positioning by reliably locking the sheet cassette 2.

  Since the hook member 26 rotates by rubbing the inclined surface 26b provided on the hook member 26 and the inclined surface 24f provided on the slide plate 24, the slide movement of the slide plate 24 can be performed with a simple configuration. , And can be converted into a rotational movement of the hook member 26. Furthermore, it is possible to arbitrarily set the rotation angle of the hook member 26 by adjusting the angles of the inclined surfaces 24f and 26b. Therefore, the operability related to the drawer / storage of the paper cassette 2 can be improved more easily, and the effect of reliably locking the paper cassette 2 when stored can be further enhanced.

  Further, since the lock mechanism 20 is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed location of the paper feed cassette 2 that feeds the paper P from the paper feed cassette 2 to the outside, positioning in the paper feed location of the paper feed cassette 2 is performed. Further, it can be realized more accurately and reliably. Accordingly, it is possible to perform a more preferable sheet feeding operation.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a paper supply apparatus including a paper feed cassette that can be pulled out / stored in the apparatus main body, and a lock mechanism that locks the paper feed cassette in the apparatus main body when stored.

1 is a vertical sectional front view of a paper supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper feed cassette provided in the paper supply device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lock mechanism provided in the paper feed cassette of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged right side view of the lock mechanism of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged top view of the lock mechanism of FIG. 3. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the upper direction of the locking mechanism of FIG. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the downward direction of the locking mechanism of FIG. It is a perspective view of the slide plate of a lock mechanism. FIG. 9 is a top view of the slide plate of FIG. 8. It is a perspective view of the hook member of a locking mechanism. It is a top view of the hook member of FIG. It is a bottom view of the hook member of FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged top view of the lock mechanism similar to that in FIG. 5 and shows a state in the middle of storing the paper feed cassette. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged top view of the lock mechanism similar to that in FIG. 13, showing a state where the storage of the paper feed cassette is further advanced from the state of FIG. 13. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged right side view of the lock mechanism similar to FIG. 4 and shows the unlocked state. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged top view of the lock mechanism similar to FIG. 5, showing the unlocked state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper supply apparatus 2 Paper feed cassette 4 Lift board 10 Paper feed apparatus 20 Lock mechanism 21 Handle 22 Shaft 23 Connection lever 24 Slide board 24f Inclined surface 25 Tension spring (1st biasing member)
26 hook member 26b inclined surface 26c hook 27 torsion coil spring (second urging member)
28 Engagement part

Claims (4)

In a paper supply apparatus comprising a paper feed cassette that can store and store paper and can be pulled out / stored in the device main body, and a lock mechanism that locks the paper feed cassette in the device main body when stored.
The lock mechanism is for holding a hand on the paper feed cassette when the paper feed cassette is pulled out and stored, and a swingable handle, and swings in the same manner as the handle in conjunction with the movement of the handle. A connecting lever, a slide plate that slides in conjunction with the movement of the connecting lever, and a hook member that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the slide plate and engages with an engaging portion provided on the device body side. A paper supply device comprising: a paper supply device;   A first urging member that urges the slide plate in the paper feed cassette locking direction; and a second urging member that urges the hook member in the paper feeding cassette locking direction. The paper supply device according to claim 1.   3. The sheet supply device according to claim 1, wherein the hook member rotates by rubbing an inclined surface provided on the hook member and an inclined surface provided on the slide plate.   4. The lock mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism is provided in the vicinity of a paper feed location for feeding paper from the paper feed cassette to the outside. The paper supply device described in 1.

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