JP2011016606A - Paper feeding cassette and image forming device having this paper feeding cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeding cassette for easily performing installation work of a pushing-up plate to a paper feeding cassette body, even when a work space in the paper feeding cassette body is small.SOLUTION: This paper feeding cassette includes a housing 40, a flapper 50, this side connecting part 52, a flapper support shaft 46 and grip 53. The flapper 50 is constituted so that at least part can be elastically deformed to be installed in the housing 40. The grip 53 projects from this side connecting part 52 of the flapper 50. This grip 53 is positioned at its tip above the upper end of an adjacent surface 47 adjacent to this side connecting part 52 among an inner wall, when installing this side connecting part 52 of the flapper 50 on a flapper support shaft 46. The grip 53 is positioned at its tip below the upper end of the adjacent surface 47 in a state of completing installation of the flapper 50 to the housing 40.

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a push-up plate provided in a paper feed cassette used in an image forming apparatus or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a paper feed cassette used in an image forming apparatus or the like, a structure in which a push-up plate is rotatably attached to the paper feed cassette body in order to bias the paper stored in the paper feed cassette body upward is conventionally known. Are known. Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose paper feeding cassettes having this type of push-up plate.

  Patent Document 1 discloses the following configuration in a paper feed cassette configured by mounting a plurality of components on a cassette body. That is, the paper feed cassette is formed integrally with the cassette body with the mounting parts for the plurality of components open upward. The plurality of parts include at least a rotating plate (push-up plate), a paper guide, and a rear end plate. The rotating plate urges the vicinity of the front end in the paper feeding direction of the paper stored in the cassette body upward. The paper guide defines a storage position in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction for each of a plurality of paper sizes. The rear end plate defines a rear end position in the paper feeding direction for each of a plurality of paper sizes. Then, the support portion of the rotating plate, the mounting portion of the paper guide, and the storage portion of the rear end plate are integrally formed in the cassette body with the upper surface opened in the cassette body. Furthermore, the support part of the said rotating plate supports rotatably in the state which latched the end of the rotating plate via the elastic member operated from the upper surface of a cassette main body.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a paper feed cassette configured as follows. That is, the paper feed cassette includes a cassette main body, a recording paper push-up plate that is mounted in the cassette main body so as to be swingable up and down, and a locking means for locking the push-up plate in the cassette main body. When the push-up plate is locked to the cassette body, the locking means is bent and locked.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-129856 JP 2000-247453 A

  In both Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an insertion hole formed in the push-up plate is formed by temporarily changing the position of the rotation shaft by elastically deforming a member of the paper feed cassette body on which the rotation shaft is disposed. The structure which enables insertion of the said rotating shaft to is disclosed. However, this configuration complicates the configuration of the paper feed cassette main body, and if the member on which the rotation shaft is disposed is damaged, the paper feed cassette main body itself must be replaced. Therefore, the push-up plate on the attachment side is configured to be elastically deformable, and the push-up plate is elastically deformed to change the position of the portion (connection portion) where the insertion hole is formed, and the rotation shaft is inserted into the insertion hole. The structure which enables is considered.

  However, even in the configuration in which the push-up plate is elastically deformed, there are the following problems in order to insert the rotation shaft formed on the inner wall of the sheet feeding cassette body into the insertion hole of the push-up plate. That is, in order to retract the connecting portion in which the insertion hole of the push-up plate is formed in a direction away from the inner wall of the sheet feeding cassette body, it is necessary to apply a force to the connecting portion from the inner wall side. However, since the paper feed cassette is housed in the image forming apparatus, it is preferable to make the paper cassette as compact as possible except for the space for housing paper, and the space between the inner wall of the paper feed cassette body and the connection portion is narrow. There may be. In such a case, it is difficult for an operator to insert a hand between the inner wall of the paper feed cassette and the connection portion, and the operation of elastically deforming the connection portion to a position where the operator can pass through the rotation shaft is easily performed. I couldn't.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to easily perform the work of attaching the push-up plate to the paper feed cassette body even when the work space in the paper feed cassette body is small. To provide a paper cassette.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a paper feed cassette configured as follows is provided. That is, the paper feed cassette includes a paper feed cassette body, a push-up plate, a connection part, an attachment part, and an operation tool. The paper feed cassette body accommodates paper to be supplied to a paper feed unit that performs a paper feed operation. The push-up plate is formed in a plate shape so as to push the paper upward so that the uppermost layer of the paper contacts the paper feed unit, and at least part of the push-up plate is elastic to be attached to the paper feed cassette body. It is configured to be deformable. The connecting portions are integrally formed at both ends of the push-up plate. The attachment portion is disposed on the inner wall of the paper feed cassette body in order to rotatably attach the connection portion to the paper feed cassette body. The operation tool protrudes from the connecting portion on at least one end side of the push-up plate, and its position changes integrally with a change in the position of the push-up plate. When the connection portion of the push-up plate is attached to the attachment portion, the operation tool has a distal end located above the upper end of the adjacent surface of the inner wall adjacent to the connection portion. In addition, when the push-up plate is completely attached to the sheet feeding cassette body, the operation tool has its tip positioned below the upper end of the adjacent surface.

  As a result, even if the space between the connection portion of the push-up plate and the inner wall of the paper cassette main body is narrow and sufficient installation space cannot be secured, the push-up plate can be easily elasticized using the operation tool. The push-up plate can be attached to the paper feed cassette body by being deformed. Further, when the push-up plate is attached to the paper feed cassette body, the operation tool is retracted below the upper end of the adjacent surface, so that the user may come into contact with the operation tool when the paper is stored in the paper feed cassette. Nor.

  In the sheet feeding cassette, it is preferable that the push-up plate and the operation tool are integrally formed by a sheet metal member.

  Thereby, a simple configuration for smoothly attaching the push-up plate to the paper feed cassette can be realized, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, since the number of parts can be reduced by integrally forming the push-up plate and the operation tool, the work of assembling the push-up plate to the paper feed cassette body can be performed more quickly.

  In the sheet feeding cassette, the connecting portion is formed by bending the push-up plate, and the push-up plate is integrally formed with an elongated protrusion so as to straddle the bent portion. Is preferred.

  Thereby, since the rigidity of a bending part improves with a convex part, even when a strong force is applied to a connection part at the time of the assembly | attachment of a push-up board, the said push-up board can be prevented effectively.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus provided with the paper feed cassette is provided.

1 is an external perspective view of a copy facsimile multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. Front sectional drawing which shows the mode of the inside of a main body. The top view which shows the mode of a paper feed cassette. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state of a paper feeding cassette viewed from the back side of the main body of the image forming apparatus. The perspective view which shows the mode of a flapper. The expansion perspective view which shows a mode that a flapper is bent using a handle part. The perspective view which shows the mode of a paper feeding cassette when a flapper exists in an attachment position. The schematic diagram which shows the mode of the handle part which a position changes integrally according to the change of the position of a flapper. The perspective view which shows a part of paper feed cassette of a modification. The expansion perspective view which shows the mode of the L-shaped groove | channel where a grounding member is arrange | positioned.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a copy facsimile multifunction peripheral 91 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the direction orthogonal to the direction (conveying direction) in which the paper 100 is conveyed may be referred to as the width direction.

  A copy facsimile multifunction peripheral (image forming apparatus) 91 shown in FIG. 1 includes an image reading unit 92, an operation panel 93, a main body 94, a paper feed cassette 95, a front cover 97, and a jam access cover 98. ing.

  The image reading unit 92 is configured to function as a flatbed scanner and an auto document feed scanner. The operation panel 93 is used by the user to instruct the copy facsimile multi-function peripheral 91 about the number of copies and the facsimile transmission destination.

  The main body 94 includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet as a recording medium. The paper feed cassette 95 is configured so that the paper can be sequentially supplied to the image forming unit.

  The front cover 97 and the jam access cover 98 are provided so as to be openable and closable. For example, when performing maintenance work or the like, the front cover 97 and / or the jam access cover 98 or both are opened, so Can be accessed.

  Next, the inside of the main body 94 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing the inside of the main body 94.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feed cassette 95 that supplies paper 100 is provided at the bottom of the main body 94. The paper feed cassette 95 is configured to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus (the front side of the paper in FIG. 2). An image forming unit 11 is disposed above the paper feed cassette 95, and a fixing unit 81 and a paper discharge tray 96 are further provided above the image forming unit 11. In the following description, the front side (the front side of the apparatus) in FIG. 2 may be simply referred to as the front side, and the back side (the back side of the apparatus) may be simply referred to as the back side.

  Inside the main body 94, a transport path 85 for transporting the paper 100 from the paper feed cassette 95 to the paper discharge tray 96 is formed. The transport path 85 extends upward from one end side of the paper feed cassette 95 to reach the image forming unit 11, extends further upward, passes through the fixing unit 81, and then curves in the horizontal direction to discharge the paper discharge tray 96. It is configured to reach the top. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the image reading unit 92 and the operation panel 93 are disposed above the paper discharge tray 96.

  The paper feed cassette 95 is formed so as to open upward, and a plate-like flapper (push-up plate) 50 is rotatably provided at the bottom thereof. A plurality of sheets of paper 100 are stacked on the flapper 50. The detailed configuration of the paper feed cassette 95 will be described later.

  A paper feed roller (paper feed unit) 21 is disposed above the flapper 50, and a conductive metal coil spring (biasing member) 49 is attached to the lower surface of the flapper 50. An installation hole 65 for arranging the coil spring 49 is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the bottom surface in the paper feed cassette 95. The coil spring 49 is supported with the lower end of the coil spring 49 entering the installation hole 65, and the flapper 50 is urged upward by the coil spring 49. With this configuration, the paper feeding roller 21 is driven while being in contact with the paper 100 pushed up by the spring force of the coil spring 49, so that the uppermost paper 100 is separated and picked up and directed toward the conveyance path 85. Are fed out (paper feeding operation).

  The installation hole 65 in which the coil spring 49 is disposed has a through hole (not shown in the drawing) that leads to the outside of the paper feed cassette 95. A ground member 60 that is grounded at an appropriate location outside the paper feed cassette 95 is introduced into the installation hole 65 from the through hole, and is in contact with the coil spring 49 in the installation hole 65. Since the coil spring 49 is directly attached to the flapper 50, the flapper 50 is grounded via the conductive coil spring 49 and the ground member 60.

  A separation roller 22 is disposed immediately downstream of the paper feed roller 21 in the transport path 85. The separation roller 22 is driven while the paper 100 is nipped between the rollers arranged opposite to the roller, and separates the paper 100 one by one.

  A registration roller 23 is disposed on the downstream side of the separation roller 22. The registration roller 23 is driven while nipping the paper 100 between the press roller 24 disposed opposite to the registration roller 23, thereby conveying the paper 100 to the downstream image forming unit 11 while correcting the skew of the paper 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 11 has a configuration in which a charger 13, an LED head 14, a developing device 15, a transfer roller 16, and a cleaner 17 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 12. ing.

  The photosensitive drum 12 has a photoconductive film formed of an organic photoreceptor on the surface and is configured to be rotationally driven (counterclockwise in FIG. 2) by an electric motor (not shown). The charger 13 is configured as a non-contact corona charging type so-called scorotron charger, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is uniformly charged, for example, negatively by the charger 13.

  The LED head 14 as an exposure device is disposed downstream of the charger 13 (refers to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 12. Hereinafter, the same applies to the description of the developing device 15, the transfer roller 16, and the cleaner 17). In this configuration, a large number of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged in the paper width direction. The LED head 14 selectively emits light corresponding to the image data of the facsimile document received via the telephone line and the image data read by the image reading unit 92. As a result, the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is selectively exposed, and the electrostatic energy is formed by losing the charge energy of the exposed portion.

  The developing device 15 is disposed on the downstream side of the LED head 14. The developing device 15 is provided with a developing roller 25 capable of holding toner on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The developing roller 25 is close to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 in a state where a predetermined bias voltage is applied.

  The toner is sent to the photosensitive drum 12 by rotating the developing roller 25. Specifically, in the vicinity of the photosensitive drum 12 and the developing roller 25, the toner on the surface of the developing roller 25 is selectively applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 only in the portion corresponding to the exposure portion by the LED head 14. Moving. As a result, a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12. The remaining toner that has not moved to the photosensitive drum 12 side is collected in the developer container 35. A space in the developer container 35 is connected to a toner cartridge 8 storing toner through a toner supply pipe 39 as a toner supply path.

  The transfer roller 16 is disposed on the downstream side of the developing device 15 and is disposed on the opposite side of the photosensitive drum 12 with the conveyance path 85 interposed therebetween. A predetermined voltage from a power source is applied to the transfer roller 16. Accordingly, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 moves so as to approach the transfer roller 16 side by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 12, and is transferred to the paper 100 by the electric field attraction force.

  The cleaner 17 is disposed on the downstream side of the transfer roller 16 and is configured to scrape residual toner that has not been transferred to the paper 100 at the transfer roller 16 portion from the surface of the photosensitive drum 12.

  The sheet 100 on which the toner image has been transferred by the image forming unit 11 as described above is sent to the fixing unit 81 on the downstream side of the conveyance path 85 by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 12.

  In the fixing unit 81 on the downstream side of the image forming unit 11, a heat roller 82 incorporating a heat source (such as a halogen lamp) is disposed. The heat roller 82 is driven while the paper 100 is nipped between the heat roller 82 and a roller disposed opposite thereto. As a result, the toner of the toner image is melted by the heat and pressure of the heat roller 82 and fixed on the paper 100.

  A feed roller 87 is provided downstream of the heat roller 82, and a paper discharge roller 88 is provided further downstream. With this configuration, the sheet 100 is nipped between the feed roller 87 and a driven roller disposed opposite thereto, and is fed downstream. Further, the sheet 100 is nipped between the sheet discharge roller 88 and a driven roller disposed opposite thereto, and is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 96.

  Next, the detailed configuration of the paper feed cassette 95 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the state of the paper feed cassette 95. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state of the paper feed cassette 95 as viewed from the back side of the main body 94 of the copy facsimile multifunction machine 91.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the paper feed cassette 95 of this embodiment includes a housing (paper feed cassette body) 40, a flapper 50, a flapper support shaft (mounting portion) 46, and a back side guide 41. The front side guide 42 and the end guide 45 are provided as main components.

  The housing 40 accommodates the paper 100 and holds each part of the paper feed cassette 95, and is configured in a box shape having an upper surface opened by an appropriate resin. An attachment portion for attaching the paper feed roller 21 is formed on the upper end portion of the housing 40 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the paper feed roller 21 is rotatably attached to the attachment portion via a shaft member. Yes.

  As described above, the flapper 50 lifts the downstream portion of the paper 100 so that the downstream end of the paper 100 contacts the paper feed roller 21 at an appropriate position. The detailed configuration of the flapper 50 will be described later.

  The flapper support shaft 46 is for attaching the flapper 50 so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 40. The flapper support shaft 46 is integrated with each inner wall at one location on the inner wall on the front side and the inner wall on the rear side of the housing 40. It is formed in a convex shape. Each flapper support shaft 46 is formed in a short round bar shape, and the front flapper support shaft 46 and the back flapper support shaft 46 are arranged to face each other so that their axis lines coincide with each other.

  The rear side guide 41 and the front side guide 42 are for guiding the side surface in the width direction of the paper 100 from both sides to appropriately hold the position and posture of the paper 100. Is arranged. The back side guide 41 is disposed on one side (back side) in the width direction, and the front side guide 42 is disposed on the other side (front side) in the width direction.

  Further, the back side guide 41 and the front side guide 42 are configured to be slidable in the width direction with respect to the housing 40, and the paper feed cassette 95 of this embodiment includes the back side guide 41 and the front side side. A rack and pinion mechanism for connecting the guides 42 to each other is provided. The rack-and-pinion mechanism includes a pinion 70, a back rack 71, and a front rack 72 as main components, and the rear side guide 41 and the front side guide 42 are formed by these members. It is configured to be linked.

  The pinion 70 is disposed on the bottom surface inside the housing 40 at a position slightly downstream in the transport direction so that the axial direction thereof is directed in the vertical direction.

  The back rack 71 is connected to the lower end of the back side guide 41, and is arranged on the bottom surface inside the housing 40 with its longitudinal direction facing the width direction. The back rack 71 has a meshing portion corresponding to the pinion 70, and this meshing portion is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction of the back rack 71.

  The front rack 72 is connected to the lower end of the front side guide 42 and, like the back rack 71, is disposed on the bottom surface of the housing 40 with its longitudinal direction facing the width direction. The front rack 72 also has a meshing portion corresponding to the pinion 70, and this meshing portion is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction of the front rack 72. As shown in FIG. 3, the pinion 70 meshes with the front rack 72 on the upstream side in the transport direction, and meshes with the back rack 71 on the downstream side in the transport direction.

  With this configuration, the user moves the back side guide 41 and the front side guide 42 above the bottom surface of the housing 40 in accordance with various sizes of the paper 100 placed in the paper feed cassette 95. . Since the back side guide 41 and the front side guide 42 are connected by a rack and pinion mechanism, for example, when the user moves the front side guide 42, for example, The side guide 41 moves by the same distance. In this way, by moving the back side guide 41 and the front side guide 42 symmetrically, it is possible to set the paper 100 of various sizes while maintaining the center position in the width direction.

  In the present embodiment, the back side guide 41 and the back rack 71 are integrally formed of an appropriate resin. Similarly, the front side guide 42 and the front side rack 72 are also integrally formed of an appropriate resin.

  The end guide 45 is for determining the position of the upstream end of the sheet 100 in the conveyance direction, and is slidable in the conveyance direction with respect to the housing 40 by a slide groove formed on the bottom surface inside the housing 40. It is configured.

  Next, the configuration of the flapper 50 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of the flapper.

  The flapper 50 of the present embodiment includes a placement surface 51, a front side connection portion 52, a back side connection portion 56, a handle portion (operation tool) 53, and a convex portion 54. The portion is integrally formed by appropriately bending and cutting a conductive sheet metal member.

  The placement surface 51 is for placing the paper 100 and is formed in a flat shape. The near side connection part 52 is disposed at the end of one side (front side) in the width direction of the placement surface 51, and the far side connection part 56 is located on the other side in the width direction (back side) of the placement surface 51. It is arranged at the end. The near side connection part 52 and the back side connection part 56 of the present embodiment are formed by bending the end part of the flapper 50 at a substantially right angle, and are elongated in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 51. It is configured as a member.

  The flat surface portion of the front side connection portion 52 and the flat surface portion of the back side connection portion 56 face each other in the width direction, and an insertion hole 55 for inserting the flapper support shaft 46 is formed in this flat surface portion. Yes. By inserting the flapper support shaft 46 through the insertion hole 55, the flapper 50 is rotatably attached to the housing 40.

  Further, both the front side connection part 52 and the back side connection part 56 are arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction of the flapper 50. Accordingly, when the flapper 50 is attached to the housing 40, the flapper 50 is rotatable with respect to the paper feed cassette 95 with the upstream side in the transport direction as the base end side. In the present embodiment, the downstream portion of the flapper 50 in the transport direction is urged upward by the coil spring 49, so that the placement surface 51 is downstream in the transport direction when the paper feed cassette 95 is pushed into the main body 94. As it advances to step, it is inclined so as to approach the upper side (paper feed roller 21).

  When the thickness of the bundle of sheets 100 stacked on the placement surface 51 is large, the coil spring 49 is compressed by that amount, and the inclination angle of the placement surface 51 (flapper 50) becomes small. In this way, fluctuations in the amount of the set paper 100 are absorbed by changing the angle of the flapper 50, so the position of the uppermost layer of the paper 100 set on the placement surface 51 (the position in contact with the paper feed roller 21). ) Are held at substantially the same position regardless of the thickness of the bundle of sheets 100 to be set.

  The handle portion 53 is used when the front side connection portion 52 is attached to the flapper support shaft 46 when the sheet feeding cassette 95 is assembled. The handle portion 53 is configured as a flat plate-like member that protrudes from a side portion (a side portion on the downstream side in the transport direction) of the near side connection portion 52. The handle portion 53 is formed integrally with the near side connection portion 52 on the upper side of the near side connection portion 52, and has a rectangular shape with rounded corners when viewed from the front. The direction in which the handle portion 53 protrudes from the near side connection portion 52 is slightly inclined to the downstream side in the transport direction from the direction perpendicular to the placement surface 51 of the flapper 50 (the direction of the near side connection portion 52). Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the handle portion 53 is adjacent to the front side connection portion 52 on the inner wall of the housing 40 in a state where the attachment of the flapper 50 to the housing 40 is completed. The top end of the 47 is configured to be positioned below the upper end. The details of the operation of attaching the flapper 50 to the housing 40 using the handle portion 53 will be described later.

  The convex portions 54 are respectively formed at the end portions on both sides of the flapper 50 where the near side connection portion 52 and the back side connection portion 56 are formed. The convex portion 54 formed at the end on the near side is an elongated shape continuous so as to straddle the plane inside the near side connection portion 52 (the plane facing the back side connection portion 56) and the placement surface 51. Is formed. Similarly, the convex portion 54 formed at the end on the back side straddles the plane inside the back side connecting portion 56 (plane facing the front side connecting portion 52) and the top surface of the placement surface 51. Thus, it is formed in a continuous elongated shape.

  The convex portion 54 is formed to be elongated in the longitudinal direction of the front surface connecting portion 52 and the back side connecting portion 56 and to protrude inwardly on the respective planes. On the other hand, on the placement surface 51, the convex portion 54 is formed so as to extend inward in the width direction from each of the front side connection portion 52 and the back side connection portion 56, and so as to protrude above the placement surface 51. Is formed.

  The convex portion 54 of the present embodiment is integrally formed with the flapper 50 by drawing, and a recess corresponding to the protruding amount is formed on the back side of the surface on which the convex portion 54 is formed. Thus, the convex part 54 is formed in the bending part formed in the both ends of the flapper 50, and the rigidity of a bending part is improved effectively.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, an operation of attaching the flapper 50 to the housing 40 using the handle portion 53 will be described. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing how the flapper 50 is bent using the handle portion 53. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the paper feed cassette 95 showing the state of the flapper 50 at the mounting position where the flapper support shaft 46 is inserted through the insertion hole 55 of the front side connection portion 52. FIG. 8A is an enlarged front view schematically showing a state of the handle portion 53 whose position changes integrally with the change of the position of the flapper 50. FIG. 8B is an enlarged side view schematically showing a state of the handle portion 53 whose position changes integrally with the change of the position of the flapper 50.

  First, the worker inserts the flapper support shaft 46 disposed on the back side into the insertion hole 55 of the back side connection portion 56 while slightly tilting the front side of the flapper 50 upward.

  Next, the operation of inserting the flapper spindle 46 on the near side into the insertion hole 55 of the near side connection portion 52 is started. In the present embodiment, as shown by the chain line in FIGS. 7 and 8A, the flapper 50 is arranged so that the front end surface of the handle portion 53 is substantially horizontal (that is, the downstream side in the transport direction is upward). A position that is greatly inclined is an attachment position for attaching the flapper 50 to the housing 40. Note that this attachment position is out of the range of rotation of the flapper 50 when the paper feed cassette 95 is actually used.

  The operator maintains the state where the flapper support shaft 46 is inserted into the insertion hole 55 of the back side connection portion 56, and the tip end surface of the handle portion 53 is substantially horizontal so that the flapper 50 is in the above-described mounting position. The posture of the flapper 50 is adjusted so that

  Then, the worker moves the near side connection portion 52 downward in the state where the flapper support shaft 46 is inserted into the insertion hole 55 of the back side connection portion 56, and moves it to the vicinity of the flapper support shaft 46. When the near side connection portion 52 comes close to the flapper spindle 46, the operator uses the handle portion 53 to bend the near side connection portion 52 to the far side in the width direction as shown in FIG. Deform). In the present embodiment, since the rigidity of the flapper 50 is improved by the convex portions 54 formed at the bent portions at both ends of the flapper 50, even if a strong force is applied to the handle portion 53, the front side The connecting portion 52 is difficult to be plastically deformed.

  The operator puts his / her finger on the handle 53 and elastically deforms the front connection 52 to push the front connection 52 further downward to insert the insertion hole 55 of the front connection 52 and the flapper support. The position of the shaft 46 is adjusted. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the flapper 50 is in the mounting position, the handle portion 53 of the present embodiment is above the upper end of the adjacent surface 47 adjacent to the front side connection portion 52 on the inner wall. Further, it is configured such that the tip portion is located. Therefore, the pushing operation (positioning of the insertion hole 55 and the flapper support shaft 46) can be easily performed with the finger placed on the handle portion 53 without the adjacent surface 47 getting in the way.

  The operator releases the force applied to the handle portion 53 in a state where the positions of the insertion hole 55 of the front side connection portion 52 and the flapper support shaft 46 are aligned. Then, the flapper support shaft 46 can be inserted into the insertion hole 55 by the restoring force of the near side connection portion 52. In this state, the space formed between the near side connection portion 52 and the adjacent surface 47 is small.

  Next, the operator pushes down the flapper 50 that is the attachment position. As a result, the flapper 50 rotates around the flapper support shaft 46 and takes a posture close to horizontal. Accordingly, the handle portion 53 is drawn downward from a state in which the handle portion 53 protrudes upward from the upper end of the adjacent surface 47 and becomes lower than the upper end of the adjacent surface 47. Therefore, in this state, it is difficult to place a finger on the handle portion 53. Thus, the operation for attaching the flapper 50 to the housing 40 is completed.

  Here, as shown by the solid lines in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the handle portion 53 of the present embodiment is adjacent to the handle portion 53 even when the paper 100 is not set after the attachment work is completed. The front end of the surface 47 is configured not to be positioned above the upper end. That is, in the flapper 50 attached to the housing 40, the inclination angle with respect to the bottom surface of the housing 40 is the largest when no sheet 100 is set. And since the handle part 53 rotates integrally with the flapper 50, when the paper 100 is not set, the front-end | tip of the handle part 53 becomes the highest. In this regard, in this embodiment, even when the paper 100 is not set, the handle portion 53 is configured so that the leading end of the adjacent surface 47 is not positioned above the upper end. Therefore, it can prevent more reliably that a user's hand contacts the handle part 53. FIG.

  When removing the flapper 50 for maintenance work or the like, the operator removes the rotation range regulating mechanism (not shown) of the flapper 50, the paper feed roller 21, and the like, and then transports the flapper 50. Raise the downstream side. As a result, the flapper 50 is inclined in the same manner as the mounting position described above, and the tip of the handle portion 53 protrudes upward from the upper end of the adjacent surface 47. In this state, the operator puts his / her finger on the handle portion 53 to elastically deform the near side connection portion 52 so as to pull out the flapper support shaft 46 from the insertion hole 55 of the near side connection portion 52. Thereby, the flapper 50 can be removed from the housing 40.

  As described above, the paper feed cassette 95 of this embodiment is configured as follows. That is, the paper feed cassette 95 includes a housing 40, a flapper 50, a front side connection portion 52, a back side connection portion 56, a flapper support shaft 46, and a handle portion 53. The housing 40 accommodates the paper 100 to be supplied to the paper supply roller 21 that performs the paper supply operation. The flapper 50 is formed in a plate shape so as to push the paper 100 upward so that the uppermost layer of the paper 100 contacts the paper feed roller 21, and at least part of the flapper 50 is configured to be elastically deformable for attachment to the housing 40. Is done. The front side connection part 52 and the back side connection part 56 are integrally formed at both ends of the flapper 50, respectively. The flapper support shaft 46 is disposed on the inner wall of the housing 40 in order to rotatably attach the front side connection portion 52 and the back side connection portion 56 to the housing 40. The handle portion 53 protrudes from the front side connection portion 52 of the flapper 50, and its position changes integrally with the change of the position of the flapper 50. When the front side connection portion 52 of the flapper 50 is attached to the flapper spindle 46, the handle portion 53 has its tip positioned above the upper end of the adjacent surface 47 adjacent to the front side connection portion 52 of the inner wall. To do. In addition, in the state where the attachment of the flapper 50 to the housing 40 is completed, the handle portion 53 has its tip positioned below the upper end of the adjacent surface 47.

  As a result, even when the space between the front side connection portion 52 and the inner wall of the housing 40 is narrow and a sufficient space for the mounting operation cannot be secured, the flapper 50 is easily elasticized using the handle portion 53. The flapper 50 can be attached to the housing 40 by being deformed. Further, when the flapper 50 is attached to the housing 40, the handle portion 53 retracts below the upper end of the adjacent surface 47, so that the handle portion 53 is stored when the user stores the paper in the paper feed cassette 95. There is no risk of contact.

  Further, in the paper feed cassette 95 of the present embodiment, the flapper 50 and the handle portion 53 are integrally formed by a sheet metal member.

  Thereby, a simple configuration for smoothly attaching the flapper 50 to the paper feed cassette 95 can be realized, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the number of parts can be reduced by integrally forming the flapper 50 and the handle portion 53, the operation of assembling the flapper 50 to the housing 40 can be performed more quickly.

  In the paper feed cassette 95 of this embodiment, the front side connection part 52 and the back side connection part 56 are formed by folding the flapper 50, and the flapper 50 has an elongated convex part so as to straddle the folded part. 54 is integrally formed.

  Thereby, since the rigidity of a bending part improves with the convex part 54, even when strong force is applied to a connection part at the time of the assembly | attachment of the flapper 50, the said flapper 50 can be prevented effectively plastically deforming.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above configuration can be modified as follows, for example.

  In the above embodiment, the flapper 50 and the handle portion 53 are integrally formed of sheet metal, but this configuration can be changed as appropriate. For example, the handle portion 53 may be configured as a separate part and fixed to the near side connection portion 52 by an appropriate method.

  Although the handle part 53 of the said embodiment is a structure arrange | positioned only in the near side connection part 52, it can also be changed into the structure arrange | positioned only in the back side connection part 56. FIG. In this configuration, when the user inserts and removes the paper feed cassette 95, the handle portion 53 is disposed on the far side where it is difficult for the user to touch, so that the contact between the user and the handle portion 53 can be more reliably prevented. it can.

  From the viewpoint of preventing plastic deformation of the front side connection part 52 and the back side connection part 56 of the flapper 50, it is preferable to provide the convex part 54, but the convex part 54 can also be omitted from the above embodiment.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the penetration hole 55 is formed in the near side connection part 52 and the back side connection part 56, and it is the structure by which the flapper spindle 46 as an attaching part is arrange | positioned in the housing 40, this structure is It can be changed as appropriate. For example, a round bar-shaped rotation shaft may be disposed in the front side connection portion 52 and the back side connection portion 56 of the flapper 50, and an insertion hole (attachment portion) for inserting the rotation shaft may be formed in the housing 40.

  Moreover, the flapper 50 should just be comprised with the member which can be elastically deformed, for example, a flapper can also be comprised with appropriate resin.

  In the above embodiment, the back side guide 41 and the back side rack 71 and the front side guide 42 and the front side rack 72 are integrally formed of resin, but this configuration can be changed as appropriate. it can. For example, the rear side guide 41 that receives the inertia force generated in the paper 100 when the paper feed cassette 95 is pushed into the main body 94 with the paper 100 accommodated may be changed to a metal having excellent durability. it can.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, a description will be given of a modification in which a side guide and a back rack disposed in the back side in the paper feed cassette 295 are integrally formed of metal. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a part of a paper feed cassette 295 according to a modification. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state of the L-shaped groove 63 in which the ground member 60 is disposed. In the following modifications, the same or similar configurations as those of the above-described embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and description thereof may be omitted.

  A modified paper feed cassette 295 includes a metal side guide 241 and a metal rack 271. The metal side guide 241 and the metal rack 271 are integrally formed of an appropriate metal. Further, the paper feed cassette 295 according to the modified example includes a ground member 60 for discharging electric charges charged in the metal side guide 241 and the metal rack 271.

  As shown in FIG. 10, an installation hole 65 for installing a coil spring 49 that urges the flapper 50 upward is formed at the downstream end of the bottom surface of the housing 240 in the conveyance direction. On the downstream side of the bottom surface of the installation hole 65 in the transport direction, a through-hole 66 is formed that communicates with the outside of the paper feed cassette 295. The ground member 60 is made of an appropriate conductive wire, and is introduced into the paper feed cassette 295 from the outside of the paper feed cassette 295 through the through hole 66. The ground member 60 is grounded at an appropriate location outside the paper feed cassette 295 and is in contact with the coil spring 49 in the installation hole 65.

  An L-shaped groove 63 is connected to the upstream side of the installation hole 65 in the transport direction. The L-shaped groove 63 is configured by connecting one end of each of a first groove 61 formed in the transport direction and a second groove 62 formed in the width direction. The first groove 61 is connected to the installation hole 65, extends from the connection portion with the installation hole 65 to the upstream side in the transport direction, and is connected to the second groove 62 on the downstream side in the transport direction from the pinion 70. The second groove 62 extends from the connecting portion with the first groove 61 to one side in the width direction (back side) and terminates in front of the metal side guide 241.

  The ground member 60 of the modified example extends from the through hole 66 through the inside of the installation hole 65 and then extends along the first groove 61 and bends substantially vertically at the connection portion between the first groove 61 and the second groove 62. And is formed so as to further extend along the second groove 62. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the second groove 62 is formed below the metal rack 271, and the ground member 60 is in contact with the metal rack 271 disposed above the second groove 62. As described above, the bending portion is formed by appropriately bending.

  The ground member 60 is formed of a metal having a spring property, and is biased so that the curved portion comes into contact with the metal rack 271 by the elastic force of the ground member 60 itself. Therefore, even when the metal rack 271 is slid, the contact between the metal rack 271 and the ground member 60 is always maintained.

  As described above, the ground member 60 of this modification shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 contacts the coil spring 49 in the installation hole 65 and also contacts the metal rack 271 in the second groove 62. Accordingly, the coil spring 49, the metal rack 271, and the metal side guide 241 are grounded by the single ground member 60.

  With the configuration of this modification, the metal side guide 241 is made of a highly durable metal, and adverse effects on image formation and paper feeding operations due to charging of the metal side guide 241 can be suppressed. In the present modification, the ground member 60 is disposed in the second groove 62 so as to be along the moving direction of the metal rack 271, and the curved portion of the ground member 60 along the moving direction is formed on the metal rack 271. It is comprised so that it may contact. Accordingly, unlike the case where the ground member 60 is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the moving direction of the metal rack 271 in the horizontal direction, when the metal rack 271 moves, the curved portion of the ground member 60 becomes the bottom surface of the metal rack 271. By being pulled and rotated, it is possible to effectively prevent a situation in which the contact between the bending portion and the metal rack 271 is deteriorated. Thus, according to the configuration of the present modification, the contact between the ground member 60 and the metal rack 271 is stable, and the grounding by the ground member 60 can be performed appropriately. In the above modification, the front side guide can also be made of metal. In this case, it is preferable that the front side guide is also configured to contact the ground member.

  The present invention can be applied to various image forming apparatuses such as a copy, a facsimile, and a printer as long as the structure includes a paper feed cassette.

21 Paper feed roller (paper feed unit)
40 Housing (paper cassette body)
46 Flapper spindle (Mounting part)
50 Flapper (push-up plate)
52 Front side connection (connection)
53 Handle part (operating tool)
54 convex part 56 back side connection part (connection part)
91 Copy Facsimile MFP (image forming device)
95 Paper cassette 100 Paper

Claims (4)

A paper cassette body for storing paper to be supplied to a paper feeding unit that performs paper feeding operation;
The sheet is formed in a plate shape so as to push the sheet upward so that the uppermost layer of the sheet contacts the sheet feeding unit, and at least part of the sheet is configured to be elastically deformable for attachment to the sheet feeding cassette body. A lifting plate,
Connecting portions integrally formed at both ends of the push-up plate;
An attachment portion disposed on an inner wall of the paper feed cassette body to rotatably attach the connection portion to the paper feed cassette body;
Projecting from the connecting portion on at least one end of the push-up plate,
When attaching the connection portion of the push-up plate to the attachment portion, the tip is located above the upper end of the adjacent surface adjacent to the connection portion of the inner wall,
In the state where the attachment of the push-up plate to the paper feed cassette body is completed, the tip is positioned below the upper end of the adjacent surface,
An operation tool whose position changes integrally with a change in the position of the push-up plate;
A paper feed cassette characterized by comprising: The paper feed cassette according to claim 1,
The paper feed cassette, wherein the push-up plate and the operation tool are integrally formed of a sheet metal member. The paper feed cassette according to claim 1 or 2,
The connecting portion is formed by bending the push-up plate,
The sheet feeding cassette, wherein the push-up plate is integrally formed with an elongated convex portion so as to straddle the bent portion.   An image forming apparatus comprising the paper feed cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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