JP3097730B2 - 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 feeder in which a plurality of sheets are stacked and placed, and the sheets are separated one by one from above by a separation unit and supplied toward a printing position of a recording apparatus. The present invention relates to a cassette, and more particularly, to a paper feed cassette capable of feeding a plurality of types of paper having different paper qualities and sizes with a single paper feed cassette.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of printers such as thermal transfer printers and laser beam printers and recording devices such as electronic copiers which have conventionally been used as output devices such as computers, word processors, and facsimile machines perform desired recording. Then, a paper cassette containing a plurality of sheets is mounted on the recording apparatus, and the sheets stored in the paper cassette are separated one by one from above and fed toward the printing position of the recording apparatus (supply). ). And
In a recording apparatus, for example, A3 size, A4 size,
Paper of various sizes such as B4 size, B5 size, and postcard size is used, and a plurality of paper feed cassettes corresponding to the paper size are used as the paper feed cassette.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a conventional paper feed cassette 1.
The rear end position of the paper P is inside the box-shaped cassette body 2 in which the upper surface is opened and the paper P is stacked and placed inside and stored therein. And a movable side plate 4 for regulating the position of the side end surface of the sheet P.

[0004] A pressure contact plate 5 is disposed inside the cassette body 2 at the front end located downstream in the paper feed direction indicated by an arrow A in FIGS. 8 and 9. A pair of springs 6 and a pair of auxiliary springs 7 constantly urge the sheet P upward, and the uppermost sheet P is provided in a recording device (not shown) such as a printer or an electronic copier. The paper feed roller 8 (FIG. 9) is elastically pressed.

[0005] Further, claw separation portions 9 are arranged at both corners of the front end portion of the cassette main body 2 located on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction. The claw separating portion 9 is provided in the cassette main body 2.
(See FIG. 8).

A recess 11 is formed in the pressing plate 5 at a position facing the feed roller 8, and the recess 11 is housed inside the cassette body 2 by the rotating feed roller 8. When sending (feeding) the separated sheets P one by one toward a printing position of a recording device (not shown), a friction pad 12 for preventing the sheets P from being separated and sent at a time by a plurality of sheets is provided. It is fixed. The friction pad 12 is made of a material having a large coefficient of friction with the paper P, for example, rubber, cork, or the like, and its upper surface is substantially flush with the upper surface of the press-contact plate 5.

In such a conventional paper feed cassette 1, sheets of paper P are stacked and placed on the inner surface of the cassette body 2, and are accommodated. Are engaged with the lower surface side of the separation claw 10 to store the plurality of sheets P inside the cassette body 2. Then, the pressing plate 5 is pressed against the paper feed roller 8 via the paper P by the urging force of the spring 6 and the auxiliary spring 7, whereby the uppermost paper P is pressed below the paper feed roller 8. You. When the paper feed roller 8 is driven to rotate in this state, the upper paper P is sent out by the frictional force between the paper feed roller 8 and the paper 8. Only the uppermost sheet P out of the sheets P to be sent out is separated from the lower sheet P by the claw 10, passes over the separation claw 10, and is conveyed from the cassette body 2 to the outside along the paper feeding direction. The paper P is sent (fed) toward a printing position of a recording device (not shown).

In the conventional paper feed cassette 1, there is no problem when using weak paper P typified by plain paper, but strong paper P such as thick paper typified by a postcard is used. In the case of using the paper P, the paper P has a strong stiffness (high rigidity), so that the paper P cannot be bent by the separation claw 10 and the leading end of the paper P cannot get over the separation claw 10. There has been a problem that the paper P cannot be sent out because the leading end of the paper P is kept engaged by the separation claw 10.

Therefore, in order to cope with such a problem, as shown in FIG.
A gap G through which one sheet of paper can pass is formed by the gaps a and 13b.
5 has been proposed.

[0010]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional paper feed cassettes 1 and 1A, when the weak paper P represented by plain paper is used, the separation claw 10 is required.
When the paper cassette 1 provided with the claw separation unit 9 using a paper is used, and a strong paper P such as a thick paper typified by a postcard is used, the paper feed unit provided with the gap separation unit 15 using the gap G is used. The paper cassette 1A is used, and when papers P having different paper qualities are used, there is a problem that a plurality of paper feed cassettes 1 and 1A having different separation methods are required in a number corresponding to the size of the paper P. there were.

Further, the necessity of a plurality of paper feed cassettes 1 and 1A means that the number of parts increases and the economic burden increases, and the space for storing the unused paper feed cassettes 1 and 1A is increased. There was a problem that needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper feed cassette capable of separating and feeding a plurality of types of paper having different paper qualities using a single paper feed cassette. And

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems] sheet cassette of the present invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object, the one a plurality of sheets to the recording apparatus together are mountable to a recording apparatus Paper feed cassettes that can be separately supplied one by one,
A cassette body capable of stacking a plurality of sheets having different sizes in the width direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction on at least one surface thereof, a first separating portion for separating weak paper, and strong paper And a second separating section for separating the weakly stiff paper positioned at the uppermost position by being engaged with the corner of the leading end of the loosely stiff paper placed on the cassette body. A claw separating unit that separates from the other stiff paper with the separation claw, wherein the second separation unit frictionally stiffens the stiffest paper positioned at the top of the stiff paper placed on the cassette body; And a friction separating section for separating the paper from the other stiff paper, wherein the separation claw in the first separating section is engaged with the corners at the leading end of a plurality of types of paper of different sizes placed on the cassette body. And the second separation
The unit is disposed at a position corresponding to a plurality of types of paper of different sizes placed on the cassette main body .
A certain amount of paper that can be passed through the stiff sheet between the separation unit
And a fixed holding plate that forms a gap defined as described above is provided .

[0014] Then, the paper feed cassette of the present invention according to claim 2 is the paper feed cassette a plurality of sheets may be one by one separate supply to the recording apparatus together are mountable to a recording apparatus A cassette body on which a plurality of sheets of different sizes in the width direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction can be stacked and placed, and a front-rear direction positioned upstream and downstream of the cassette body in the paper feed direction A first separating portion disposed at one of both ends for separating weak paper; and a first separating portion disposed at the other of the front and rear ends located upstream and downstream in the paper feeding direction of the cassette body. A second separating unit for separating the strong paper, a pressing plate disposed on the cassette main body at a predetermined distance from the second separating unit, and an upstream and a downstream in the paper feeding direction of the cassette main body. Formed at both ends in the front-rear direction It is and a mounting portion to be mounted in reversed and the recording apparatus before and after the cassette body, the first
The separation unit is a claw separation unit that engages with a corner of the leading end of the weak paper placed on the cassette body and separates the weakest paper positioned at the top from the other weak paper with a separation claw. And the second separation unit is orthogonal to the paper feeding direction.
Having a separating body on the outside and inside in the direction of the stiffness, and separating the stiff paper positioned at the top of the stiff paper placed on the cassette main body from the other stiff papers with a frictional force. It is characterized by being a department.

Furthermore, the paper feed cassette of the present invention according to claim 3, each separation of the second separation unit is, on the paper feeding direction
It has an upward slope from the upstream side to the downstream side.
Of the outer separator in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction.
It is characterized in that the inclination angle is steeper than the inclination angle of the inner separator .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding cassette which can be mounted on a recording apparatus and can separately supply a plurality of sheets one by one to the recording apparatus. And both sides are perpendicular to the running direction
A cassette body on which a plurality of sheets of different sizes in the width direction can be stacked and placed; and a cassette body disposed on one of the surfaces of the cassette body for separating weak papers from the cassette body engaged with the distal end corners of the weak paper chewy which is
Hold the weakest paper at the top with the separation claw
A first separating portion comprising a claw separating portion for separating from the weak paper, and a separate paper provided on the other surface of the cassette main body and having a frictional force to separate the strong paper from the other strong paper.
Have a second separation unit comprising a friction separation section for separating, this
The paper having a strong stiffness between the second separation unit and the friction separation unit
A fixed push with a fixed gap through which one can pass
It is characterized by having a plate .

[0017]

[0018]

According to the paper feed cassette of the present invention having the above-described structure, the claw separating portion and the frictional separation are provided in one paper feed cassette.
By arranging the parts in the width direction of paper quality with one of the paper feed cassette is orthogonal to the running direction different
Of paper of different sizes can be separated and sent out.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of a sheet cassette according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the structure of a main part, and FIG. 2 is a side view. 3 is A in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line A, and FIG. 4 is a rear view.

First, the schematic configuration of the sheet cassette of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a sheet cassette 16 according to the present embodiment is a substantially flat plate-shaped cassette body 17 on which a plurality of sheets P can be stacked on both sides. have. On one surface (front surface) FS shown in FIG. 1 of the cassette main body 17, plain paper PW as a weak paper PA is shown, and on the other surface (back surface) RS shown in FIG. Are stored in a state where they are stacked and placed, respectively. The cassette body 17 is capable of sending out the paper P in the paper feed direction indicated by an arrow B in FIGS.
In FIG. 4, mounting portions 18 are provided at both end corners located on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction shown at the top. The mounting portion 18 can be mounted on a cassette mounting portion 38 of a recording device 33 described later.

On the surface FS of the cassette body 17,
As shown in FIG. 1, the first separating unit 50 is engaged with the corner of the leading end of the uppermost sheet P, and separates the uppermost sheet P from the other sheets P with the separation claw 19. As shown in FIG. 4, the claw separating unit 20 is provided, and on the back surface RS of the cassette body 17, as the second separating unit 51, the sheet P located at the uppermost position is subjected to a frictional force (specifically, the sheet P (A balance between the waist strength and the frictional force) is provided with a friction separating portion 21 that separates from the other paper P.

Next, the surface FS of the cassette body 17
1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of right and left paper side faces formed in a substantially flat plate shape is provided near the left and right ends shown on the left and right sides of the surface FS of the cassette body 17 in FIG. A guide member 22 is provided. When the A4 size plain paper PWa is used, the paper side guide member 22 is for positioning both side ends of the A4 size plain paper PWa, and its longitudinal direction is indicated by an arrow B in FIG. It is arranged so as to extend in parallel with the paper feed direction.

In the vicinity of the rear end of the front surface FS of the cassette body 17 shown in FIG.
The two paper trailing end guide members 23 are arranged in parallel to each other so as to be orthogonal to the paper feed direction indicated by.

One of the paper trailing edge guide members 23a located below the paper trailing edge guide member 23 in FIG. 1 (upstream side in the paper feeding direction) is used when A4 size plain paper PWa is used. The rear end located on the upstream side in the paper feed direction indicated by the arrow B is in contact with the A4 size plain paper PW.
The position of the rear end of a is determined.

The other paper rear end guide member 23b located above the paper rear end guide member 23 in FIG. 1 (downstream side in the paper feed direction) is formed in a substantially U-shape, and its concave portion 24 is formed. In the case where B5 size plain paper PWb is disposed facing upward (downstream side in the paper feed direction) in FIG. 1 and B5 size plain paper is used, the upstream side in the paper feed direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. The rear end and the side end located on the rear end side are abutted to position the rear end and the rear end side end of the B5 size plain paper PWb. Further, the rear end guide member 23b is provided with an appropriate engagement means (not shown), for example, an engagement projection is provided on the paper rear end guide member 23b, and the engagement projection is disengaged from the front surface FS of the cassette body 17. The cassette body 17
Is detachable from the surface FS. Further, when the rear end guide member 23b is not used, such as when A4 size plain paper PWa is used, the rear end guide member 23b will be described later.
Is held by the storage section SY provided in the storage section.

A pair of left and right separation claws 19 are disposed near the left and right ends in the vicinity of the front end of the front surface FS of the cassette body 17 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, one pair of left and right separation claws 19a located outside the separation claw 19 in the left-right direction in FIG.
Are engaged with the corners of the leading end portions of a plurality of A4 size plain papers PWa stacked and placed on the surface FS of the cassette body 17. 17, a claw that separates the uppermost plain paper PWa of a plurality of A4 size plain papers PWa stored in a state of being stacked and placed on the front surface FS from other plain papers PWa located therebelow. A separation portion 20a is formed.

The other pair of left and right separation claws 19b located on the inner side (center side) in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 of the separation claw 19 is stacked and mounted on the surface FS of the cassette body 17. The separation claws 19b are adapted to be engaged with the corners of the leading end of a plurality of B5 size plain paper PWb.
A plurality of B5 size plain papers PWb stored in a state of being stacked on the surface FS of the cassette body 17
Is formed with a claw separating portion 20b for separating the plain paper PWb located at the uppermost portion from other plain paper PWb located thereunder. The position of the upper surface of the separation claw 19b is lower than the upper surface of the separation claw 19a, so that the traveling path of the separated A4 size plain paper PWa is not obstructed. .

In this embodiment, each of the claw separating portions 20
The first and second separation units 50 and 20b constitute a first separation unit 50 that separates the weak paper P.

Further, on the surface FS of the cassette body 17,
The urging member 25 made of a leaf spring is used for the separation claws 19a and 19b.
Are respectively arranged so as to face the lower surface of the.
The urging member 25 urges the corners of the leading ends of the plain papers PWa and PWb toward the separation claws 19a and 19b. The urging member 25 is made of plain paper P
Any material may be used as long as it urges the corner of the tip end of the W toward the separation claw 19, and can be selected from various elastic bodies such as a coil spring.

Further, in the vicinity of the front end portion of the front surface FS of the cassette body 17 in FIG. 1 (downstream side in the paper feeding direction) in FIG. The plain paper PW placed on the front surface FS of the cassette body 17 by the
A friction pad 26 is fixed to prevent a plurality of sheets of plain paper PW from being separated and sent at a time when the sheets are separated and sent (feeded) one by one toward the printing position PP. . The friction pad 26 is formed of a material having a large coefficient of friction with the paper P, for example, rubber, cork, or the like, and has an upper surface substantially flush with the surface FS of the cassette body 17.

Next, the rear surface RS of the cassette body 17
2 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the left and right sides of the rear surface RS of the cassette body 17 are formed in a substantially flat plate shape in the vicinity of the left end shown on the left side in FIG. A pair of postcard side guide members 27 are provided. The pair of left and right postcard side guide members 27 position both ends perpendicular to the paper feed direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 4 when the postcard PC is used in the horizontal direction and when the reciprocating postcard RPC is used. This is arranged so that its longitudinal direction extends in parallel with the paper feed direction indicated by arrow B in FIG.

In the vicinity of the rear end of the lower surface RS of the cassette body 17 shown in FIG.
Post card guide 2 so as to be orthogonal to the paper feed direction
8 are arranged in parallel. The postcard guide 28 is formed in a substantially U-shape, and its concave portion 29 is disposed upward (downstream in the paper feed direction) in FIG.
When the postcard PC is used in the horizontal direction, the recess 29 is used.
The rear end located on the upstream side in the paper feed direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 4 is in contact with the front end located on the opening side of the postcard PC, thereby positioning the rear end of the postcard PC. Further, when the postcard PC is used in the vertical direction, the concave portion 29 is used.
A rear end and a rear end side located upstream in the paper feeding direction indicated by an arrow B in FIG. 4 are in contact with each other, and the rear end and the rear end side of the postcard PC when used vertically. The side end is positioned. Further, the postcard guide 28 is provided with an appropriate engaging means (not shown), for example, an engagement convex portion on the postcard guide 28, and the rear surface RS of the cassette body 17 is provided.
The cassette body 17 can be attached to and detached from the back surface RS of the cassette main body 17 by, for example, a configuration in which an engagement concave portion with which the engagement convex portion is disengaged is engaged. Furthermore, when the reciprocating postcard RPC is used, the postcard guide 28 is mounted on the upstream side (downward in FIG. 4) in the paper feeding direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, the mounting position of the postcard guide 28 is made variable so that the postcard PC or the reciprocating postcard RPC can be used.

In the vicinity of the front end of the rear surface RS of the cassette main body 17 shown in FIG. 4 above, six plate-shaped separators 30 formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape have their longitudinal directions parallel to the paper feeding direction. It is arranged. These six separators 3
4, two separating bodies 30a located on the outside in the left-right direction in FIG. 4 are used for separation when the reciprocating postcard RPC and the postcard PC are used in the horizontal direction.
The mutually opposing side surfaces of the separate bodies 30a are configured to have a guiding function for guiding the front end sides of both sides parallel to the paper feeding direction of the postcard PC when the postcard PC is used in the vertical direction. In FIG. 4, the four separators 30b located on the inner side in the left-right direction are used for separation when the postcard PC is used in the vertical direction, and are upstream of the four separators 30b in the paper feeding direction. The position facing the leading end of the postcard PC located on the side is shifted from the two separators 30a in the paper feed direction downstream (in the direction away from the paper feed roller 39).

As shown in FIG. 3, from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper feeding direction, which is located at a position facing the postcard PC of the separator 30 located on the outer side in the left-right direction in FIG.
It has an uphill slope 31a, and each slope 31a
The inclination angle of 4 in FIG.
The inclination is slightly steeper than the inclination angle of the inclined surface 31b of each of the separated bodies 30b. This is used in the horizontal direction because the separating body 30a located outside in the left-right direction in FIG. 4 used for separation when the postcard PC is used in the horizontal direction is provided close to the paper feed roller 39. This is because a large conveying force can be applied to the postcard PC.

Then, the postcard PC (horizontal direction) and the reciprocating postcard RPC are placed below the postcard PC (horizontal direction) and the reciprocating postcard RP under the separating body 30a by frictional force.
Frictional separation unit 21a for separating from the C is configured, other postcard located thereunder with a gap G that one sheet postcard more postcard PC (vertical direction) in the separation member 30 b may pass P
A friction separating portion 21b that separates from C (vertical direction) is configured.

In the present embodiment, each of the friction separating portions 2
1a, 21b, which separates the stiff paper P
The separation unit 51 is configured.

FIG. 4 shows the back surface RS of the cassette body 17.
A pressing plate 32 for restricting the running position of the running postcard PC from above is provided above the vicinity of the front end shown above.
Are provided with a gap G of at least one postcard between each of the separated bodies 30.

Further, the rear surface RS of the cassette body 17
In FIG. 4, the right side is a storage section SY capable of holding the rear end guide member 23b.

In this embodiment, A4 size plain paper P is used as the paper P placed in the paper feed cassette 16.
Wa, B5 size plain paper PWb, postcard PC, and reciprocating postcard RPC are illustrated.
W, postcard PC, OHP paper, thermal paper, various types of thick paper, various types of coated paper, various types of metal sheets, various types of resin sheets called chemical sheets, and the like. The size of A4 size, B5
In addition to the size, it can be selected from various types such as A3 size, A5 size, A6 size, B4 size, B6 size, legal size and the like. Further, the combination of the paper quality of the paper P and the size of the paper P can be selected from various types as needed.

Here, an embodiment of a recording apparatus using the sheet cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the structure of a main part of an embodiment of a recording apparatus using the sheet feeding cassette according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a side view showing the internal structure of the main part.

In this embodiment, the paper feed cassette 1 according to the present invention is used.
6 is a known thermal printer 33 a as a recording device 33.
It was used for.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, inside the thermal printer 33a as the recording device 33 of the present embodiment, a flat platen 34 is arranged so that its printing surface 34a is substantially vertical. Has been established. This platen 3
4, a plurality of heating elements (not shown) are arranged in front of the platen 34 in front of the platen 34, which are movable toward and away from the platen 34 by a driving mechanism (not shown). A thermal head 35 as a head is provided. The contact position between the thermal head 35 and the platen 34 in the head-down state (not shown, FIGS. 5 and 6 show the head-up state) in contact with the platen 34 is the printing position PP. .
Further, between the platen 34 and the thermal head 35,
Paper P and an ink ribbon (not shown) are supplied in order from the platen 34 side.

The thermal head 35 is driven by an appropriate drive motor 3 such as a stepping motor shown on the left side in FIG.
6 is mounted on a carriage 37 which is reciprocally movable along the printing surface 34a of the platen 34 by the driving force of 6. The carriage 37 is provided with an ink ribbon formed by applying ink of a desired color to a base film. A ribbon cassette (both not shown) provided therein can be mounted.

As shown in FIG. 6, below the carriage 37, an engaging portion (not shown) with which the mounting portion 18 of the sheet cassette 16 according to the present invention is engaged via an opening (not shown). ) Is provided.

Above the cassette mounting section 38, there is provided a paper feed roller 39 which is rotated and driven by a drive motor (not shown) so as to face substantially the front end of the paper feed cassette 16. The paper feed roller 39 can be urged toward the paper feed cassette 16 by a suitable urging member such as a spring (not shown). When the paper feed cassette 16 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 38, The paper P is pressed against the upper surface of the paper P located at the top of the paper P stored in the paper cassette 16.

From the printing position PP, an arrow C in FIG.
On the upstream side (the lower part in FIG. 6) in the traveling direction of the paper P indicated by,
A paper feed roller 40 and a guide 41 are provided to transport the paper P separated from the paper feed cassette 16 and fed in the paper feed direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 6 toward the printing position PP at a predetermined speed. I have. This paper feed roller 40
Is rotated by a stepping motor (not shown), and an auxiliary roller 42 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 40 is rotatably disposed on the left side of the paper feed roller 40. The auxiliary roller 42 is driven to rotate by the paper feed roller 40.

That is, the paper P separated and fed from the paper feed cassette 16 follows the guide 41 so as to be sandwiched between the paper feed roller 40 and the auxiliary roller 42 constituting the paper feed mechanism. And can travel toward the printing position PP.

From the printing position PP in FIG.
On the downstream side (upward in FIG. 6) in the traveling direction of the paper P indicated by,
A paper discharge roller 43 for discharging the printed paper P to the outside
Are arranged. The paper discharge roller 43 is rotatably driven by a driving motor such as a stepping motor (not shown). To the right of the paper discharge roller 43, a pressing roller 44 abutting on the outer peripheral surface of the paper discharge roller 43. Are arranged rotatably, and the pressing roller 44 is driven to rotate by the paper discharge roller 43.

That is, the printed paper P is discharged outside so as to be sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 43 and the pressure roller 44.

According to the thermal printer 33a of this embodiment having the above-described configuration, the paper feed roller 39 is driven to rotate while the paper feed cassette 16 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 38, so that the paper feed cassette 16 The uppermost sheet P of the plurality of sheets P stored is separated and sent (feeded) to the sheet feed mechanism. Then, in front of the platen 34, the paper P separated from the paper feed cassette 16 by the paper feed mechanism and sent out and an ink ribbon are supported,
The ink ribbon is fed out while reciprocating the thermal head 35 pressed against the platen 34 via the paper P and the ink ribbon along the platen 34 together with the carriage 37, and a plurality of heating elements arranged and arranged on the thermal head 35, By selectively generating heat based on the print information, the ink on the ink ribbon is partially melted and transferred to a predetermined print position PP on the paper, so that an image such as a desired character is formed on the paper. Has become.

When thermal paper is used as the paper P, it is not necessary to use an ink ribbon. Further, the recording device 33 is not limited to the thermal printer 33a, but may be a type printer, an inkjet printer,
Various printers such as a laser beam printer and an electronic copying machine can also be used.

Next, the operation of the sheet cassette 16 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.

According to the paper feed cassette 16 of this embodiment, a plurality of types of paper P different in paper quality and size, that is, A4 size plain paper PWa, B5 size plain paper PWb, postcard PC (vertical and horizontal), reciprocating postcard The RPC can be stored and separated and sent (feeded).

This will be described in more detail.

First, when a plurality of A4-size plain papers PWa are stacked and stored on the front surface FS of the cassette body 17, the B5 size paper of the front surface FS of the cassette body 17 is stored. The paper rear end guide member 23b for positioning the rear end and the side end of the plain paper PWb is held in a storage section SY (FIG. 4) provided on the back surface RS of the cassette body 17. Then, the left and right 1 of the surface FS of the cassette body 17
The pair of paper side guide members 22 and the paper rear end guide member 23a located below in FIG.
a, the urging member 25 disposed on the surface FS of the cassette body 17 separates the front end corner of the A4 size plain paper PWa by the elastic force of itself. By pushing up to the lower surface of the pair of left and right separation claws 19a constituting the portion 20a, the uppermost A
The upper surface of the 4-size plain paper PWa has a pair of left and right separation claws 19.
a is pressed into contact with the lower surface of a.

When the mounting portion 18 of the paper cassette 16 is engaged through an opening (not shown) of the thermal printer 33a with the surface FS of the paper cassette 16 facing upward, the paper cassette 16 Is attached to the thermal printer 33a, and the thermal printer 33
The paper feed roller 39 provided at a is pressed against the upper surface of the A4 size plain paper PWa located at the uppermost part of the paper feed cassette 16.

In this state, by rotating the paper feed roller 39 provided in the thermal printer 33a, the frictional force between the paper feed roller 39 and the paper P (A4 size plain paper PWa) causes the surface of the paper feed cassette 16 to be rotated. A plurality of A4 size plain papers PWa at the top of the A4 size plain papers PWa stored in a state of being stacked on the FS are to be transported, but the rigidity of the A4 size plain papers PWa is low. Therefore, a pair of left and right separation claws 19a constituting the claw separation portion 20a
A4 size plain paper P to be conveyed
Of the Wa, only the uppermost A4-size plain paper PWa is separated from the other A4-sized plain paper PWa located above and below the separation claw 19a and printed inside the thermal printer 33a along the paper feed direction. The paper is fed toward the position PP (specifically, toward the contact portion between the paper feed roller 40 and the auxiliary roller 42 constituting the paper feed mechanism).

Thereafter, by repeating the paper feeding process, an arbitrary number of A4 size plain papers PWa can be continuously fed.

The position of the upper surface of the separation claw 19a used for the A4 size plain paper PWa is the B5 size plain paper PWa.
b is provided at a position higher than the upper surface of the separation claw 19b used for separation of the A4 size, and is located outside the traveling path of the separated A4 size plain paper PWa running over the separation claw 19a. The running of the plain paper PWa of the size is not hindered.

Further, a paper trailing edge guide member 2 for positioning the trailing edge and the trailing edge of the B5 size plain paper PWb
3b can be held in the storage section SY of the back surface RS of the cassette body 17, so that loss can be prevented.

Next, on the surface FS of the cassette body 17,
When a plurality of B5 size plain papers PWb are stored in a stacked state, the rear end and the rear end side end of the B5 size plain paper PWb are placed on the surface FS of the cassette body 17. A paper trailing end guide member 23B for positioning is mounted at a predetermined position (FIG. 1). Then, the rear end and the rear end side of the B5 size plain paper PWb are positioned by the concave portion 24 of the paper rear end guide member 23b, and the urging member 25 positioned inside the surface FS of the cassette body 17 itself is positioned. Of the B5 size plain paper PWb, the pair of left and right separation claws 19 constituting the claw separation portion 20b located inside the left and right direction of the A4 size separation claw 19a.
By pushing up toward the lower surface of b, the upper surface of the B5 size plain paper PWb located at the uppermost position is pressed against the lower surfaces of the pair of left and right separation claws 19b.

The mounting portion 18 of the paper cassette 16 is engaged with an opening (not shown) of the thermal printer 33a while the front surface FS of the paper cassette 16 is directed upward. Is attached to the thermal printer 33a, and the thermal printer 33
The paper feed roller 39 provided at a is pressed against the upper surface of the B5 size plain paper PWb located at the uppermost part of the paper feed cassette 16.

In this state, the paper feed roller 39 provided in the thermal printer 33a is rotationally driven to be positioned at the uppermost position by a pair of left and right separation claws 19b as in the case of the A4 size plain paper PWa. Only the plain paper PWb is separated from other plain paper PWb positioned below and sent out toward the printing position PP inside the thermal printer 33a.

Next, on the back surface RS of the cassette body 17,
When a plurality of postcards PC are stored in a state of being stacked in a horizontal direction (a direction in which the longitudinal direction of the postcard PC is orthogonal to the paper feeding direction) and stacked, the back surface RS of the cassette body 17 is stored. A postcard guide 28 for positioning the rear end of the postcard PC is attached to a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the postcard PC. And
A pair of postcard side guide members 27 and postcard guides 28 on the right and left sides of the back surface RS of the cassette body 17 position the rear end and the side end of the postcard PC in the paper feeding direction. A pair of left and right separated bodies 30a located on the outer side in the left-right direction constitutes a slope 31a provided on a surface facing the postcard PC.

When the mounting portion 18 of the paper cassette 16 is engaged through an opening (not shown) of the thermal printer 33a with the back surface RS of the paper cassette 16 facing upward, the paper cassette 16 Is attached to the thermal printer 33a, and the thermal printer 33
The paper feed roller 39 provided at a is pressed against the upper surface of the postcard PC located at the top of the paper feed cassette 16.

In this state, the paper feed roller 39 provided in the thermal printer 33a is driven to rotate, so that the paper feed roller 39 and the postcard PC are stacked on the back surface RS of the paper feed cassette 16 by the frictional force. Although the upper postcards PC among the postcards that have been printed tend to be conveyed in the paper feed direction, the rigidity of the postcard PC is high, and therefore the postcard PC is positioned at the top due to the balance between the rigidity of the postcard PC and the frictional force. A pair of left and right separation bodies 30 in which only the postcard PC constitutes the friction separation unit 21a
a of another postcard PC which is located between the separation body 30a and the presser plate 32 after climbing up the inclined surface 31a of FIG.
From the thermal printer 3 along the paper feed direction
The paper is fed toward a printing position PP inside 3a (specifically, toward a contact portion between a paper feed roller 40 and an auxiliary roller 42 constituting a paper feed mechanism).

Next, on the back surface RS of the cassette body 17,
When a plurality of reciprocating postcards RPC are stored in a stacked state, the rear end of the postcard PC is located upstream of the back surface RS of the cassette body 17 in the paper feeding direction shown below in FIG. A postcard guide 28 for positioning is mounted. The rear end and the side end of the reciprocating postcard RPC in the paper feeding direction are positioned by a pair of left and right postcard side guide members 27 and the postcard guide 28 on the back surface RS of the cassette body 17, and the front end of the reciprocating postcard RPC in the paper feeding direction is frictional. An inclined surface 31a provided on a surface of the pair of left and right separators 30a facing the reciprocating postcard RPC, which is located on the outer side in the left-right direction and constitutes the separation unit 21a.
And are opposed to each other.

When the mounting portion 18 of the paper cassette 16 is engaged through an opening (not shown) of the thermal printer 33a with the back surface RS of the paper cassette 16 facing upward, the paper cassette 16 Is attached to the thermal printer 33a, and the thermal printer 33
The paper feed roller 39 provided at a is pressed against the upper surface of the reciprocating postcard RPC located at the top of the paper feed cassette 16.

In this state, the paper feed roller 39 provided in the thermal printer 33a is driven to rotate, so that only the reciprocating postcard RPC located at the uppermost position is frictionally separated by the friction separating unit, similarly to the postcard PC used in the horizontal direction. 21a separates and sends out the other reciprocating postcard RPC located below.

Next, on the back surface RS of the cassette body 17,
When a plurality of postcards PC are stacked and stored in a vertical direction (a direction in which the longitudinal direction of the postcard PC is parallel to the paper feeding direction), the rear surface RS of the cassette body 17 is stored. A postcard guide 28 for positioning the rear end of the postcard PC is mounted at a predetermined position at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the postcard PC. Then, the rear end and the rear end side end of the postcard PC are positioned by the concave portion 29 of the postcard guide member 28, and the front end of the postcard PC in the paper feeding direction is located at the center in the left-right direction which constitutes the friction separating portion 21b. The four separated bodies 30b face inclined surfaces 31b provided on the surface facing the postcard PC.

When the mounting portion 18 of the paper cassette 16 is engaged through an opening (not shown) of the thermal printer 33a with the back surface RS of the paper cassette 16 facing upward, the paper cassette 16 Is attached to the thermal printer 33a, and the thermal printer 33
The paper feed roller 39 provided at a is pressed against the upper surface of the postcard PC located at the top of the paper feed cassette 16.

In this state, by rotating the paper feed roller 39 provided in the thermal printer 33a, only the uppermost postcard PC is frictionally separated by the friction separating section 21b, similarly to the postcard PC used in the horizontal direction. Is sent out separately from other postcards RP located below.

Therefore, the sheet cassette 16 of this embodiment is
Is A4 size plain paper PWa, B5 size plain paper P
Four types of paper P: Wb, postcard PC and reciprocating postcard RPC
As well as separation and delivery.

That is, the sheet cassette 16 of this embodiment is
Are used in one paper feed cassette 16 to separate a claw separation unit 20 used for separating weak paper PA typified by plain paper PW and a strong paper PB such as thick paper typified by postcard PC. A friction separating portion 21 is provided , and
Paper P of a plurality of sizes having different sizes in the width direction orthogonal to the paper direction can be placed, so that the space of the paper feed cassette 16 can be effectively used, and Paper cassette 16 corresponding to P
The number of parts can be reliably reduced, and not only the economical burden can be reduced, but also the space for storing the unused sheet cassette 16 can be reliably reduced.

As the second separating section 51, instead of the friction separating section 21 of this embodiment, a gap G through which one sheet can pass is formed by a pair of conventional upper and lower gap forming members 13a and 13b. However, the gap separating unit 15 for separating the paper P with the gap G may be used, and the configuration is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment as long as the configuration is used for separating the stiff paper PB. When the gap separating unit 15 is used, the paper PB placed on the paper feed cassette 16 is urged upward by an urging member (not shown), and is mounted on the thermal printer 33a in which the position of the paper feed roller 39 is fixed. By doing
It is preferable that the position of the uppermost sheet PB is always the same.

[0082] Next, the second paper cassette according to the present invention
An embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same or corresponding components as those of the sheet cassette of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the configuration of the main part of a second embodiment of the paper feed cassette according to the present invention.

In the paper feed cassette 16A of this embodiment, mounting portions 18 are provided on both sides in the front-rear direction of the cassette main body 17A shown in the vertical direction in FIG.
In FIG. 7, a claw separating portion 20 as a first separating portion 50 is provided at a front upper portion, and a friction separating portion 21 as a second separating portion 51 is provided at a rear lower portion in FIG. Then, at a desired position of the cassette body 17, B5
A paper rear end guide member 23b and a postcard guide 28 for positioning the rear end and the side end of the plain paper PWb having the size can be mounted.

That is, when the A4 size plain paper PWa and the B5 size plain paper PWb are used as the paper P, the paper P is positioned at the uppermost position by the claw separating portion 20 disposed at the front and shown in the upper part of FIG. Only the plain paper PW is separated from the other plain paper PW and sent out in the paper feed direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 7, and when the postcard PC and the reciprocating postcard RPC are used as the paper P, the paper feed cassette 16 The postcard PC or the reciprocating postcard RPC located at the uppermost position is mounted on the thermal printer 33a in a reversed state, and is disposed at the rear by the friction separating portion 21 shown below in FIG.
Only the separated postcard PC or the reciprocating postcard RPC is sent out in the paper feed direction indicated by arrow E in FIG.

The paper trailing end guide member 23b and the postcard guide 28 are detachable at desired positions as needed. When not used, the surface of the cassette body 17 on which the paper P is placed is placed. Holding on the opposite side of the paper feeder 16A effectively utilizes the space of the paper feed cassette 16A.
It is preferable to prevent loss. Other configurations are the same as those of the sheet cassette 16 of the first embodiment described above.

With this configuration, the present embodiment has the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Note that, also in this embodiment, the second separation unit 5
1, a pair of conventional upper and lower gap forming members 13a, 13
A gap G through which one sheet of paper can pass is formed by b, and the gap separating unit 15 that separates the sheet P with the gap G may be used.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but can be modified as required.

[0090]

As described above, according to the paper cassette of the present invention, one paper cassette accommodates a plurality of types of paper having different paper qualities and different sizes in the width direction orthogonal to the running direction. Not only can the number of parts of the paper cassette be reduced reliably, and the economical burden can be reduced, but also the space for storing unused paper cassettes can be reliably reduced. It has excellent effects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of a first embodiment of a sheet cassette according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of an embodiment of a recording apparatus using the sheet cassette according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an internal configuration of a main part of an embodiment of a recording apparatus using a sheet cassette according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of a second embodiment of the paper feed cassette according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a conventional paper feed cassette.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 8

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a main part of another example of a conventional paper feed cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

16, 16A Paper cassette 17, 17A Cassette body 18 Mounting part 19, 19a, 19b Separating claw 20, 20a, 20b Claw separating part 21, 21a, 21b (as first separating part) 21, 21a, 21b (as second separating part) Friction separation unit 30, 30a, 30b Separator 50 First separation unit 51 Second separation unit P paper PA (weak) paper PB (weak) paper B, D, E Paper feed direction FS (paper feed cassette ) Front side RS (back side of paper cassette)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Akiura Yamashita 1-7 Yukitani Otsuka-cho, Ota-ku, Tokyo Alps Electric Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-3-13433 (JP, A) JP-A JP-A-2-215628 (JP, A) JP-A-8-198463 (JP, A) JP-A-5-238570 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Application Sho 60-9836 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int) .Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 1/00-3/68

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A paper feed cassette which can be mounted on a recording apparatus and can separately supply a plurality of sheets one by one to the recording apparatus, and has a width at least on one side orthogonal to the paper feeding direction. A cassette body capable of stacking and stacking a plurality of sheets having different sizes in the direction, a first separating unit for separating weak paper and a second separating unit for separating strong paper, The first separating unit is engaged with the corner of the leading end of the weak paper placed on the cassette body and separates the weakest paper located at the uppermost position from the other weak paper with a separation claw. A claw separating unit, wherein the second separating unit is configured to frictionally separate the stiff paper positioned at the top of the stiff paper placed on the cassette main body from other stiff papers with a frictional force. And the separation claw in the first separation section is While being disposed at a position to engage the distal end corners of the plurality of kinds of sheets having different sizes to be placed on preparative body, the second separation
The unit is disposed at a position corresponding to a plurality of types of paper of different sizes placed on the cassette main body .
A certain amount of paper that can be passed through the stiff sheet between the separation unit
A paper feed cassette provided with a fixed presser plate forming a clearance . 2. A paper feed cassette which can be mounted on a recording apparatus and can separately supply a plurality of sheets one by one to the recording apparatus, and has a size in a width direction orthogonal to a paper feeding direction. A cassette body on which a plurality of sheets of different papers can be stacked and placed, and one of both ends in the front-rear direction located upstream and downstream in the paper feeding direction of the cassette body, A first separation unit that separates sheets, a second separation unit that is disposed at the other of the front and rear ends on the upstream side and the downstream side of the cassette body in the paper feed direction, and separates a stiff sheet;
A pressing plate disposed on the cassette main body at a predetermined distance from the second separating portion; and a cassette main body formed at both ends in the front-rear direction located upstream and downstream in the paper feeding direction of the cassette main body. And a mounting portion which can be mounted on the recording apparatus by reversing the front and rear, wherein the first separating portion is engaged with a corner of the front end portion of the weak paper placed on the cassette main body and is provided at the uppermost portion. A claw separating unit that separates the weak paper positioned from the other weak paper with a separation claw ;
Separators on the outside and inside in the direction perpendicular to
And a friction separating section for separating the stiff paper positioned at the top of the stiff paper placed on the cassette body from other stiff papers with a frictional force. 3. Each of the separation bodies of the second separation unit is configured to
From the upstream side to the downstream side
And an outer portion in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction.
The inclination angle of the detached body should be steeper than the inclination angle of the inner detached body.
Paper feed cassette according to 請 Motomeko 2, characterized in that the.