JP2010184788A - Paper feeding device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reliable paper feeding device of simple structure improved in operability, eliminating lock operation of a paper feeding tray for stocking multiple paper sheets in consideration of convenience in use and capable of preventing movement of a cross directional cursor in the case wherein a user vigorously moves the paper feeding tray in the paper sheet cross direction, and to provide an image forming device. <P>SOLUTION: This paper feeding device includes: a device body; a paper feeding tray 1; and a guide member for guiding the paper feeding tray to a set position and an open position of the device body. The paper feeding tray includes: a pair of side fences for positioning a recording paper in the paper cross direction corresponding to size of the recording paper; and a side fence lock mechanism for automatically releasing lock of the side fences when the paper feeding tray is pulled to the open position and for automatically locking the side fences when the paper feeding tray is at the set position. The side fence lock mechanism includes a lock member to be detachably engaged with a projection part provided in a lower part of any one of the side fences, and the lock member is locked with the projection part at the set position, and the lock with the projection part is released at the open position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feeding device used for a copying machine (PPC), a laser beam printer, a facsimile, a scanner device, and the like, and an image forming apparatus including the device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a paper feeding device such as a copying machine, transfer paper is stored in a pullable paper feeding tray and fed to an image forming unit. This paper feed tray uses a slide rail system to improve operability when setting it to the copier body or pulling it out. However, it is pulled out to the front surface of the copying machine main body (apparatus main body) until it is stopped by a stopper provided on the fixed side of the paper feed tray or rail. In this state, after the transfer paper is supplied to the paper feed tray, when the tray is pushed in and pushed toward the rear side plate, the paper feed tray is held in the apparatus main body by a lock mechanism separately provided.

  On the other hand, in the paper feed tray, there are an end fence for positioning the paper in the paper supply direction and a pair of side fences for positioning the paper in the paper width direction perpendicular to the paper supply direction. The side fence is provided with a lock means for locking the fence at a predetermined position corresponding to the paper size. As the locking means, one constituted by a saw-toothed rack and a lock piece provided with a locking claw that engages with this rack is generally widely used.

  However, with the above-described locking means, when a sheet is stacked on the sheet feeding tray and the user moves the sheet feeding tray in the sheet width direction, the sheet bundle is locked to try to move relative to the sheet feeding tray by inertia. The lock piece may be overcome and the fence may be unlocked. As a result, the paper moves in the paper width direction together with the cursor, and as a result, proper paper feeding cannot be performed, causing problems such as a print image shift and paper jam.

  In order to solve such a problem, a technique for preventing unintentional movement of a locking piece for locking the side fence in a predetermined position has been proposed, and an example of the paper feed tray can be seen in Patent Document 1.

  In this patent document 1, each of the pair of side fences is provided with a lock lever as a lock piece, and one of the lock levers is automatically unlocked when the tray is pulled out and automatically locked when the tray is inserted. It is what I did.

  However, in the case of the method shown in Patent Document 1, since the locking mechanism for the side fence forces the user to perform an operation of locking, the user is inferior in terms of usability and when the user forgets the locking operation, There is a problem that the side fence is displaced. In addition, a lock lever must be provided on each of the pair of side fences, and there is a problem that the configuration is complicated and the operability is inferior.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a paper feed tray that stocks a large number of papers, the lock operation is eliminated from the viewpoint of ease of use, and the operability is improved with a simple configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable paper feeding device and image forming apparatus capable of preventing the movement of the width direction cursor when a user vigorously moves the paper feeding tray in the paper width direction.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to an apparatus main body, a paper feed tray for storing recording paper, and the paper feed tray provided in the apparatus main body. A guide member that guides to a set position and an open position is provided, and a pair of interlocking side fences that position recording paper in the paper width direction in accordance with the size are fed to the paper feed tray, and the side fences are fed. A sheet feeding device having a side fence lock mechanism that automatically releases the lock when the tray is pulled to the open position and automatically locks the tray at the set position, and the side fence lock mechanism includes one of the side fence lock mechanisms. It has a lock member that can be engaged with and disengaged from the protrusion provided at the lower side of the side fence. This lock member is locked to the protrusion at the set position, and is locked to the protrusion at the open position. To.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the first aspect, the protrusion protrudes downward from a slit provided in the bottom wall of the paper feeding tray, and the locking member is the bottom wall of the paper feeding tray. The lock lever has an intermediate portion pivotally supported on the outer surface, and the lock lever is provided with a plurality of recesses that can be engaged with the protrusions along the longitudinal edge on one end side. An urging member is provided to urge the sheet feeding tray to be released when the concave portion engaged with the protruding portion is released when the sheet feeding tray is pulled to the open position.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the first or second aspect, the rear portion of the paper feeding tray and the front portion of the main body of the device have engaging portions, and both the engaging portions are supplied. The paper trays are engaged with each other when the paper trays are pulled to the open position so that the paper feed tray can be fixed to the apparatus main body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the third aspect, the engaging portion of the paper feeding tray is an engaging convex portion provided at the other end of the lock lever, and the engaging portion of the main body of the device. Is an engaging recess provided in the apparatus main body side guide member so that the engaging protrusion engages. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

  The present invention is as described above, and the side fence locking mechanism that automatically unlocks the side fence when the paper feed tray is pulled out to the open position and automatically locks the side fence at the set position is provided. Since it has a lock member that can be engaged with and disengaged from the protrusion provided at the lower part, this lock member is locked to the protrusion at the set position, and is locked to the protrusion at the open position. The lock function is automatically released in the open position without forcing the user to perform a lock operation as in the past, so that the setting of the side fence is maintained when paper is replenished, and the paper feed tray is set from the open position. Even if the user forgets the locking action, the side fence is automatically locked, so even if the user moves the feed tray toward the set position, the width direction Reliability can be prevented movement of the Cursor also the effect of high like. In addition, the configuration can be simplified such as a protrusion provided on one of the pair of interlocking side fences and a lock member that is engaged with the protrusion, and the operability is improved. In addition, if the lock member is provided on the outer surface of the bottom wall of the paper feed tray, the malfunction of the user is reduced. Furthermore, when the tray is pulled out to the open position, the paper feed tray can be fixed by engaging the engaging portions (the engaging convex portion and the engaging concave portion). Even when a bundle or the like touches the paper feed tray, the tray is not pushed and retracted, and it is possible to prevent the paper supply from failing because the tray is accidentally pushed during replenishment.

1 is a schematic plan view of a paper feed tray used in a paper feed device of an image forming apparatus (copier) showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the interlocking mechanism of a pair of side fence provided in the paper feed tray same as the above. It is the perspective view which looked at the paper feed tray same as the above from the lower side, showing the side fence lock mechanism in an exploded state. It is a bottom view for explaining the operation when the same sheet feeding tray is in the open position. It is a bottom view for explaining the operation when the same sheet feeding tray is in the set position.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic plane of a paper feed tray. The main body of the image forming apparatus on which the tray is set shows only a rail portion as a guide member, and the image forming apparatus itself is not shown. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a paper feed tray, and 2a and 2b denote rail portions provided in an apparatus main body (not shown). Slide rails 3a and 3b that are engaged with and engaged with rail portions 2a and 2b are provided on both sides of the paper feed tray 1, and the paper feed tray 1 includes slide rails 3a and 3b that engage with each other and rail portions 2a and 2b. Guided by 2b, it can move in the direction of the arrow. That is, the sheet feed tray 1 can be moved between the setting position of the apparatus main body shown in FIG. 5 and the open position shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, transfer paper supply operation is performed on the front side of the apparatus main body, which is the drawer side of the paper feed tray 1.

  A recess 4 for accommodating a sheet bundle S made of transfer paper is formed on the surface of the sheet feed tray 1, and the position of the sheet bundle S in the apparatus depth direction (both sides in the width direction of the sheet bundle S) is regulated in the recess. A pair of side fences 5a and 5b are installed. The side fence 5a is the front side fence and the side fence 5b is the back side fence 3b. These two side fences are interlocked by the engagement of the rack 6 and the pinion 7 as shown in FIG. The sheet bundle S can be moved in the direction of the arrow, and the sheet bundle S is arranged in the center with respect to the sheet feeding tray 1 even if the side fences 5a and 5b move. An end fence 8 regulates the rear end of the sheet bundle S. The sheet feeding direction is the right direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, columnar protrusions 11 are suspended from one of the side fences 5a and 5b, in this embodiment, on the bottom plate bottom surface of the side fence 5b. The protrusion 11 protrudes downward through a slit 12 provided in the bottom wall of the paper feed tray 1. The slit 12 is provided over a predetermined length in the drawing direction of the paper feed tray 1.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a lock lever bent in a substantially “<” shape, and an intermediate portion serving as a bent base point is pivotally supported on the outer surface of the bottom wall of the sheet feed tray 1 by a pivot pin 16. Reference numeral 17 denotes a hole into which a pin is inserted, and is provided on the outer surface of the bottom wall of the paper feed tray 1. A plurality of grooves 18 that can be locked to the protrusion 11 are provided at one edge of the long end of the lock lever 15 at intervals. The plurality of grooves 18 are provided so that the side fences 5a and 5b can be locked and locked to the protrusions 11 even when the positions of the side fences 5a and 5b are changed according to the sheet size. That is, when the side fences 5a and 5b are brought to the position where the standard paper is set, one of the grooves 18 is adapted to be engaged with the protrusion 11. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lock lever 15 is urged by a tension spring 20 in a direction in which the groove 18 is released from engagement with the protrusion 11. The spring 20 is held by a pedestal 21 fixed to the lower portion of the tray 1.

  The other end of the lock lever 15, which is the rear position of the paper feed tray 1, is formed in a sagittal engagement convex portion 22. In addition, an engagement recess 23 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 22 of the lock lever 15 that is pulled and rotated by the spring 20 when the paper feed tray 1 is pulled out to the open position at the front portion of the rail portion 2a on the main body side. Is formed. The engagement recess 23 is formed in a V shape that matches the shape of the engagement protrusion 22 so that the engagement protrusion 22 fits closely. When the paper feed tray 1 is in the set position, the engagement convex portion 22 of the lock lever 15 is disengaged from the engagement concave portion 23 and abuts on the side surface of the rail portion 2a on the main body side. Is rotated in the opposite direction against the bias of the spring 20 so that the groove 18 is engaged with the protrusion 11.

Next, the operation will be described.
For example, when the paper feed tray 1 is pulled out from the apparatus main body to the open position for paper replacement, the engagement convex portion 22 of the lock lever 15 that has abutted against the side surface of the rail portion 2a on the main body side as shown in FIG. Engage with the engaging recess 23 at the front of the rail portion 2a. With this engagement, the lock lever 15 is pulled by the spring 20 and rotates in the direction of the arrow, so that the groove 18 is disengaged from the protrusion 11 and the lock is automatically released. Accordingly, in this state, the side fences 5a and 5b can freely move in the direction of the slit 12 in the tray 1, so that the user moves the side fences 5a and 5b and moves the end fence 8 as necessary. Can be loaded and set on paper of the required size.

  On the other hand, when the paper feed tray 1 is pushed into the apparatus main body from the open position as described above, the engagement convex portion 22 of the lock lever 15 gets over the engagement concave portion 23 of the rail portion 2a over the V-shaped inclined surface, The side of the rail portion 2a on the side is abutted and collided, and is moved to the set position in this abutted state. When the set position is reached, the groove 18 of the lock lever 15 engages with the protrusion 11 of the side fence 5b. As a result, the side fences 5a and 5b are automatically locked and fixed. Therefore, even if the paper feed tray 1 is set vigorously, the side fences 5a and 5b are not moved, and problems such as image misalignment and paper skew can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, since the engaging convex portion 22 of the lock lever 15 engages with the engaging concave portion 23 at the front portion of the rail portion 2a as described above, the feeding when the paper feed tray 1 is pulled out to the open position. The paper tray 1 can be locked. As a result, when replenishing the transfer paper, it is possible to prevent the tray from being pushed and retracted by touching the sheet bundle or the like with the paper feed tray 1, thereby improving the workability of replenishing the transfer paper. Can do.

  In the above description, the paper feeding apparatus is mainly described, and the description of the image forming apparatus is simplified. However, in the present invention, the above paper feeding apparatus is provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. By providing a simple sheet feeding device in the image forming apparatus, the convenience of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

  The above-described embodiment is merely a preferred example, and the present invention includes different appropriate embodiments within the scope described in the claims. Needless to say, the side fence lock mechanism may have a design other than that illustrated.

1 Feeding tray 2a, 2b Rail (guide member)
3a, 3b Slide rail (guide member)
4 Recesses 5a, 5b Side fence 8 End fence 11 Protrusion (protrusion)
12 Slit 15 Lock lever (lock member)
16 pivot pin 18 groove (recess)
20 Tension spring (biasing member)
22 Engaging convex part (engaging part)
23 Engaging recess (engaging part)
S Paper bundle

JP-A-8-239128 (page 3-4, Fig. 1-4)

Claims (5)

An apparatus main body; a paper feed tray for storing recording paper; and a guide member provided in the apparatus main body for guiding the paper feed tray to a set position and an open position of the apparatus main body. The paper tray has a pair of interlocking side fences that position the recording paper in the paper width direction according to the size, and the side fence is automatically released when the paper feed tray is pulled out to the open position. A paper feeding device having a side fence locking mechanism that automatically locks at a set position,
The side fence locking mechanism has a locking member that can be engaged with and disengaged from a protruding portion provided on the lower side of one of the side fences, and the locking member is engaged with the protruding portion at the set position, and the protruding portion at the open position. The paper feeder is released.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion protrudes downward from a slit provided in the bottom wall of the sheet feeding tray, and the locking member is pivotally supported at the outer surface of the bottom wall of the sheet feeding tray. The lock lever is provided with a plurality of recesses that can be locked to the protrusions along the longitudinal edge on one end side, and the feed tray is pulled out to the open position. A feeding device is provided, wherein a biasing member is provided for biasing so that the concave portion locked with the protruding portion is released and the locking is released.   3. The paper feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein engaging portions are provided at a rear portion of the paper feeding tray and a front portion of the apparatus main body, and the both engaging portions are pulled out to the open position. The paper feeding device is characterized in that the paper feeding tray can be fixed to the apparatus main body by engaging with each other.   4. The paper feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the engaging portion of the paper feeding tray is an engaging convex portion provided at the other end of the lock lever, and the engaging convex portion of the apparatus main body is engaged with the engaging convex portion. The sheet feeding device is characterized in that it is an engagement recess provided in the apparatus main body side guide member.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet feeding device according to claim 1.

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