JP3077896B2 - Paper cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding cassette used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, copying machines, facsimile machines,
2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a printer includes a paper feed cassette for continuously supplying print paper.

A general configuration of such a paper feed cassette is such that a paper mounting base is disposed in a box-shaped case, and one end of the base is attached to the opening side of the case by a biasing member. It has a vigorous configuration. When a large number of sheets are placed on the base and inserted into the main body of the image forming apparatus, one end portion of the sheet is urged by the urging member toward a sheet feeding roller of the main body. The paper is smoothly supplied to the main body of the apparatus by the rotation of the paper feed roller.

In this type of paper feed cassette, all the paper in the cassette is consumed on the apparatus main body side. When the cassette is taken out from the apparatus main body and new paper is refilled, the paper of the base is not used. Since one end is at the raised position, there is a problem that it is difficult to supplement the paper. Therefore, as a sheet cassette which solves this problem, FIG.
(A) and FIG. 3 (b) have been proposed (proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 4-7218).

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, reference numeral 51 denotes a paper feed cassette, 52 denotes a case body formed in a box shape, and 53 denotes a sheet mounting base. This base 53
Has its one end 54 urged toward the opening 64 by a spring 55. In this case, one end 54 of the base 53 is engaged with a separation claw 56 provided on a movable member 57 described later.

The sheet cassette 51 has a base position adjusting mechanism as described below. That is, a movable member 57 is provided on the side of the base 53, and a pin 58 is provided on the movable member 57, and the pin 58 projects outside the case body. Further, the movable member 57 is provided with an engagement projection 59 and an engagement base suppressing projection 60. A cutout 61 is formed in the base 53. The protrusion 59 and the protrusion 6 provided on the case body 52
A spring 63 is stretched between the two.

3 (a) and 3 (b), the method of using the paper feed cassette 51 is as follows.
The operator opposes the one end 54
Press down. Then, the base 53 is engaged with the base holding projection 60 and is placed at the lowered position. In this state, the printing paper is stored in the paper feed cassette 51.

Next, the paper feed cassette 51 is inserted into the apparatus main body. In this case, the pin 58 is pressed relatively to the apparatus main body, and the base holding protrusion 60 is located at the notch 61 of the base 53, and the base holding protrusion 60
And the base 53 is disengaged, and the one end 54 rises.

In the paper feed cassette 51 provided with the base position adjusting mechanism for the paper mounting base, the printing paper is stored after the base 53 is fixed at the lowered position in advance. The printing paper can be stored without being disturbed by the position of the base 53 without storing the printing paper while pushing down.

In the paper feed cassette 51,
Just by inserting the base 53 into the apparatus main body, the base 53 and the base restraining projection 60 for fixing the base 53 at the lowered position are disengaged, the one end 54 is raised, and the printing paper is transferred to the apparatus. Since the paper is pressed against the paper feed roller of the main body, the printing paper can be smoothly supplied by the rotation of the paper feed roller.

[0011]

In the above-described paper feed cassette 51, when the paper feed cassette 51 is taken out after the paper is consumed in the apparatus main body, the base 53 is pushed up by a spring 55. It will be taken out in a state. Therefore, when the operator attempts to replenish the paper cassette 51 with the printing paper again, the operator needs to perform an operation of pushing down the base 53 beforehand, and there is a problem that the handling is troublesome.

Furthermore, since the base position adjusting mechanism of the paper feed cassette 51 is composed of a large number of components, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the paper feed cassette 51 increases due to an increase in the number of components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and in a paper feed cassette provided with a base position adjusting mechanism for a paper mounting base, the handling is easy and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. It is an object to provide a paper feed cassette.

[0014]

According to the present invention, there is provided a paper feed cassette comprising a box-shaped case, a paper mounting base disposed in the case, and one end of the base connected to an open end of the case. And a base position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the base by engaging with an engaged portion of the apparatus main body when inserted into the apparatus main body. , The case includes a rectangular bottom plate, and an end portion of the bottom plate.
It has upper and lower, left and right side plates that stand up,
The shaft position adjusting mechanism comprises a shaft body supported in the direction between the left and right side plates, and a plate-shaped cam body rotatably supported on the shaft body around the axis of the shaft body. Body
The upper end portion first engagement portion is provided which engages with the engaged portion, the second engagement to the lower end portion of the cam body engaging the base end portion <br/> A joint is provided, and the cam body is
When the case is not inserted into the device body,
The second engagement portion at the lower end of the cam body is the base.
By engaging one end of the base, one end of the base is
Push down into the case against the urging force of the urging member
To the lower position, and insert the case into the main unit.
The first engagement portion at the upper end of the cam body
The cam comes into contact with the engaged portion and
When the main body rotates about the shaft, the second engagement
The engagement between the mating portion and one end of the base is released, and the base
To the opening end side by the urging force of the urging member.
Raise it to the ascending position, and then move the case
When removing the device body in the direction opposite to the insertion direction, the first
Is rotated in reverse while contacting the engaged portion.
The second engagement portion engages one end of the base,
One end of the base is pressed against the urging force of the urging member.
Characterized in that it is depressed inwardly of the base and held in the lowered position .

[0015]

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, reference numeral 11 denotes a paper feed cassette, 12 denotes a case body formed in a box shape, and 13 denotes a sheet mounting base. The base 13 has one end 14 urged by an urging member 15 toward the open end 31 of the case 12. In this case, one end 14 of the base 13 is engaged with the second engaging portion 26 of the cam body 24.

The case 12 has a rectangular bottom plate 18.
And an upper plate 19, a lower plate 20, a left side plate 21, and a right side plate 22 rising from the end of the bottom plate 18.

Further, a base position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the base 13 by engaging with the engaged portion 16 of the image forming apparatus when the sheet cassette 11 is inserted into the apparatus main body. 11A.

The base position adjusting mechanism 11A pushes one end 14 of the base 13 down into the case 12 against the urging force of the urging member 15 in a state of not being inserted into the apparatus main body. A cam which is held at the lowered position and retracted so that when inserted into the apparatus main body, the one end 14 of the base 13 is raised toward the opening end 31 by the urging force of the urging member 15 to reach the raised position. 17 is provided.

The cam 17 includes the upper plate 19 and the lower plate 20.
The cam body comprises a shaft body 23 supported in the inter-direction and a plate-like cam body 24 rotatably supported on the shaft body 23 about the axis of the shaft body 23. A first engaging portion 25 that engages with the engaged portion 16 is provided at one end of the engaging portion 24 .
The other end of the cam body 24 is provided with a second engaging portion 26 that engages with the one end 14 of the base 13.

Further, the case 12 has a sheet width regulating member 27 and a sheet edge regulating member 28 for regulating the position of the stored printing paper, and a sheet of printing paper one by one in contact with a paper feed roller 29 of the apparatus main body. A friction 30 for feeding paper is provided.

Next, a method of using the sheet cassette 11 will be described.

In FIG. 2A, the sheet cassette 1
One end of the base 13 is engaged with a second engaging portion 26 of the cam body 24, and the urging member 15
Is pressed down inward of the case 12 and held at the lowered position. In this state, the printing paper is placed on the base 13 and the paper cassette 11 is inserted into the apparatus main body.

In FIG. 2A, the sheet cassette 11
Is about to move in the direction A and is completely inserted into the apparatus main body, and the engaged portion 16 on the apparatus main body side is connected to the first engaging section 25 of the cam main body 24 of the sheet cassette 11. Is in contact with

Next, when the sheet cassette 11 is moved in the direction A and completely inserted into the apparatus main body, the cam main body 2 is moved.
4 is rotated in the L direction about the shaft 23 by the engaged portion 16 pressing the first engaging portion 25 of the cam body 24.

In FIG. 2B, the sheet cassette 11
Are completely inserted into the apparatus main body, and the cam main body 24 is rotated about the shaft 23 in the L direction. At this time, the base 13 is connected to the cam body 2 with which the base 13 is engaged.
The position of the second engagement portion 26 withdraws along with the rotation of the cam body 24 to reach the ascending position. Since the first engaging portion 25 of the cam body 24 is pressed by the engaged portion 16, the base 13 is pressed at the raised position. The printing paper placed on the base 13 is pressed against the paper feed roller 29 and supplied to the inside of the apparatus by the rotation of the paper feed roller 29.

Next, in FIG. 2B, all the printing paper in the paper cassette 11 is consumed, and the supply cassette 11 is
When the cam body 24 moves in the direction and separates from the apparatus main body, the engaged portion 16
By pressing the first engagement portion 25, the shaft 23 rotates in the R direction about the shaft 23. The base 13 is held at its lowered position by being pushed down by the second engagement portion 26 of the cam body 24 as the cam body 24 rotates.

In the paper feed cassette 11, when the paper is taken out after the paper is consumed in the apparatus main body, the base 13 is pushed down by the cam main body 24,
It will be taken out while being held at the lowered position. Therefore, when the operator attempts to replenish the paper cassette 11 with printing paper again, the operator does not need to press down the base 13 beforehand, and the handling can be simplified.

Further, since the base position adjusting mechanism 11A of the paper feed cassette 11 is constituted by the cam 17, the number of parts is small and the manufacturing cost of the paper feed cassette 11 can be reduced.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the paper feeding method in the present embodiment is a friction separation method, but may be another method such as a nail separation method.

[0032]

As described in detail above, according to the paper feed cassette of the present invention, one end of the base is pushed down into the case in the non-inserted state with respect to the apparatus main body, and the lower position is obtained. And a base position adjusting mechanism configured to include a cam that, when inserted into the apparatus body, lifts one end of the base toward the opening end and retracts so as to reach a rising position. Therefore, handling is easy, and the mechanism is supported in the direction between the left and right side plates.
Pivoted about the axis of the shaft
A freely supported plate-like cam body.
First engagement with the engaged portion at one end of the cam body
Part, which engages with the base at the other end of the cam body
Since the second engagement portion is provided, the configuration of the cam is simplified.
In other words, it is possible to provide a paper feed cassette which is simple and can reduce the manufacturing cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a paper feed cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining a method of using the paper feed cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a view of a main part of the paper feed cassette showing a state immediately before the paper feed cassette is inserted. It is a side view, (b) is a side view of the principal part of a paper feed cassette which shows the state in which the paper feed cassette was completely inserted.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a conventional paper feed cassette,
FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the sheet cassette showing a state immediately before the sheet cassette is inserted, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the sheet cassette showing a state in which the sheet cassette is completely inserted.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Paper feed cassette 12 Case 13 Base for mounting paper 14 One end of base for mounting paper 15 Biasing member 16 Engaged part of apparatus main body 17 Cam 18 Bottom plate of case 19 Upper plate of case 20 Lower case Side plate 21 Left side plate of case 22 Right side plate of case 23 Shaft 24 Cam body 25 First engaging portion 26 Second engaging portion

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A box-shaped case, a paper mounting base disposed in the case, an urging member for urging one end of the base toward an opening end of the case, and an apparatus main body. A base position adjusting mechanism that adjusts the position of the base by engaging with the engaged portion of the apparatus main body when inserted into the apparatus body, wherein the case includes a rectangular bottom plate; Stand up from the end of
The base position adjusting mechanism is provided with a shaft supported in a direction between the left and right side plates, and the shaft is rotatable about the axis of the shaft. consists of a supported plate of the cam body, the upper end portion of the cam body first engagement portion engaged is provided on the engaged portion, wherein the lower end portion of the cam body base
A second engaging portion is provided for engaging with one end of the cam body.
When in the on state, the second engagement of the lower end of the cam body
The mating portion is engaged with one end of the base, thereby forming the base.
End of the case against the urging force of the urging member.
Down and hold the case in the lowered position.
When inserted into the device body, the upper end of the cam body
When the first engagement portion contacts the engaged portion and the insertion is performed,
And the cam body rotates about the shaft.
The engagement between the second engagement portion and one end of the base is
And the one end of the base is biased by the biasing force of the biasing member.
Up to the opening end side to reach the ascending position.
Then, remove the case in the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the device body.
When the first engagement portion contacts the engaged portion,
And the second engagement portion is again rotated at one end of the base.
Biasing the one end of the base with the biasing member
Push down on the inside of the case against the force to keep it in the lowered position.
A paper cassette characterized by being held.