JP3663735B2 - Paper storage device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet storage device that is provided in an image forming apparatus that discharges a sheet after image formation from a predetermined discharge port, and that stores the discharged sheet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of paper storage device, a paper tray for stacking and holding paper is slidably provided between a storage position stored in a lower portion of the image forming apparatus and a protruding position protruding from the image forming apparatus. It is considered. If the paper tray is configured in this way, when a large number of large sheets are ejected, the paper tray is disposed at the protruding position to hold the sheets in a stacked state, and otherwise, the paper tray is disposed at the storage position. Occupying area can be reduced.
[0003]
In this type of paper storage device, it is also considered that a stopper for locking the front end of the paper discharged onto the paper tray is provided at the front end of the paper tray. By providing such a stopper, a large number of sheets can be aligned and held on the sheet tray.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the stopper is provided on the paper tray that is slidably provided as described above, the paper tray must be disposed at the protruding position when the paper is discharged as follows. That is, if the paper tray configured as described above is disposed at the storage position, the stopper is disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port of the image forming apparatus and blocks the paper discharge path. Therefore, even when image formation is performed on one small sheet, the sheet tray must be disposed at the protruding position, and as a result, the area occupied by the image forming apparatus cannot be sufficiently reduced.
[0005]
Therefore, the applicant of the present application raises the stopper provided at the front end of the paper tray from the upper surface of the paper tray and holds the front end of the paper discharged on the paper tray, and lower than the standing position. It has been proposed that the sheet discharged from the discharge port is movably provided between a lower position where the sheet passes above.
[0006]
However, even if the stopper is movably provided as described above, if the paper tray is disposed at the storage position while the stopper is disposed at the standing position, the stopper may block the paper discharge path. If image formation is performed in this state, the paper after the image formation cannot be smoothly discharged. For this reason, when disposing the paper tray at the storage position, it is necessary to take care to dispose the stopper at a low position.
[0007]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet storage device that can automatically dispose the stopper at a low position when the sheet tray is disposed at the storage position.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
The invention described in claim 1 made to achieve the above object is a paper storage device that is provided in an image forming apparatus that discharges paper after image formation from a predetermined discharge port, and that stores the discharged paper. A paper tray that is slidably provided between a storage position stored in a lower part of the image forming apparatus and a protruding position protruding from the image forming apparatus, and stacks and holds the discharged paper on an upper surface; A standing position that is provided at the leading end of the paper tray, stands up from the top surface of the paper tray and locks the leading end of the paper discharged onto the paper tray, and is positioned lower than the standing position from the discharge port. A stopper provided so as to be movable between a low position where the discharged paper passes above and a stopper which moves the stopper to the low position when the paper tray slides to the storage position. Characterized by comprising a dynamic means.
[0009]
In the present invention configured as described above, when the paper tray is disposed at the protruding position and the stopper is disposed at the standing position, a large number of sheets are stacked and held by the paper tray, and the leading edge of the paper is engaged by the stopper. Stop and align the paper. Further, when image formation is performed without using the paper tray, the paper tray can be passed above the stopper by disposing the paper tray at the storage position and disposing the stopper at the low position. For this reason, it is possible to satisfactorily reduce the occupation area of the image forming apparatus.
[0010]
Further, in the present invention, when the paper tray slides to the storage position, the stopper moving means moves the stopper to the low position. For this reason, when the paper tray is disposed at the storage position, the stopper can be automatically disposed at the low position. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the paper tray after the image formation is not smoothly discharged by disposing the paper tray at the storage position while the stopper is disposed at the standing position.
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the stopper moving means is provided integrally with the image forming apparatus, and the stopper contacts the stopper when the paper tray slides to the storage position. It moves to the said low position in contact. In the present invention, the stopper moving means moves the stopper to a low position by mechanically contacting the stopper. For this reason, even if the sheet tray is slid to the storage position while the power of the image forming apparatus is turned off, the stopper is surely disposed at the low position. Therefore, in the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, an effect that the stopper can be moved to the low position more reliably is produced. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the paper after image formation is not smoothly discharged.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the stopper swings about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the sliding direction of the paper tray, so that the standing position and the low position are The stopper moving means abuts against the stopper from below the horizontal axis.
[0013]
In the present invention configured as described above, the stopper moving means abuts against the stopper from below the horizontal axis that is the axis of swinging of the stopper. For this reason, when the paper tray slides to the storage position, the stopper falls to the side close to the image forming apparatus and is disposed at the low position. In this case, the area occupied by the image forming apparatus when the paper tray is disposed at the storage position and the stopper is disposed at the low position is extremely small. Therefore, in the present invention, in addition to the effect of the invention of the second aspect, the effect that the occupied area of the image forming apparatus can be further reduced can be obtained.
[0014]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the stopper swings about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the sliding direction of the paper tray, so that the standing position and the low position are The stopper moving means abuts against the stopper from above the horizontal axis.
[0015]
In the present invention configured as described above, the stopper moving means abuts against the stopper from above the horizontal axis serving as the axis of swinging of the stopper. For this reason, when the paper tray slides to the storage position, the stopper falls to the side away from the image forming apparatus and is disposed at the low position. In this case, even if the stopper does not completely move to the low position and stops at a halfway position, there is little possibility that the discharge of the sheet is hindered. Therefore, in the present invention, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, the effect that the occurrence of a situation in which the paper after image formation is not smoothly discharged can be prevented more reliably.
[0016]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the structure according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, when the stopper moves to the low position, a guide for guiding the paper discharged from the discharge port to the paper tray. The stopper is disposed substantially the same or below the surface or the upper surface of the paper tray.
[0017]
In the present invention, when the stopper is moved to the low position, the stopper is disposed substantially the same or below the guide surface of the discharged paper or the upper surface of the paper tray. For this reason, there is almost no possibility that the stopper disposed at the low position hinders the discharge of the paper. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, there is an effect that it is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the sheet after image formation is not smoothly discharged.
[0018]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration according to any of the first to fifth aspects, the image forming apparatus is an ink jet printer that forms an image by ejecting ink onto a sheet.
Ink jet printers are often placed near a personal computer and use relatively small paper such as A4 size, so there is a strong demand for reducing the area occupied by the apparatus. In the present invention, as described above, the area occupied by the image forming apparatus can be satisfactorily reduced by disposing the paper tray at the storage position and disposing the stopper at the low position. The effect of the described invention becomes more remarkable.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of an ink jet printer to which the present invention is applied.
As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed cassette 14 that can store a plurality of printing papers 12 is provided at the rear portion (left side in the figure) of a printer main body 10 as an image forming apparatus. A rotation axis along the width direction of the printing paper 12 (perpendicular to the plane of the paper: hereinafter also referred to as the left-right direction) is provided at the lower front portion of the paper feeding cassette 14 and in contact with the uppermost printing paper 12. A paper feed roller 16 is provided. A tray 18 on which the printing paper 12 can be placed is provided in the paper feed cassette 14, and this tray 18 is biased toward the paper feed roller 16 by a coil spring 20. For this reason, the printing paper 12 on the tray 18 comes into contact with the surface of the paper feed roller 16 by the urging force of the coil spring 20 and is rotated on the guide 21 by the paper feed roller 16 that is rotationally driven (counterclockwise in the figure) by a motor (not shown). Is conveyed downward.
[0020]
The printer main body 10 in front of the paper feed roller 16 is covered from above by a cover frame 24 that can be freely opened and closed, and the following members are disposed in the cover frame 24. First, a conveyance roller 31 that is rotationally driven by a motor, a paper pressing roller 32 that cooperates with the conveyance roller 31 to convey the printing paper 12, and a roller holder 33 that rotatably supports the paper pressing roller 32. Are arranged. The roller holder 33 is pivotally supported by the mounting shaft 34 and is urged in the direction of the transport roller 31 (clockwise direction in the figure) by an urging member (not shown). By this urging force, the paper pressing roller 32 is pressed against the transport roller 31.
[0021]
The printing paper 12 transported on the guide 21 by the paper feed roller 16 is sandwiched between the transporting roller 31 and the paper pressing roller 32 and transported onto the printing guide 35 that is obliquely downward and forward. A print unit 50 is further provided in the cover frame 24 at a position facing the print guide 35. The printing unit 50 includes a recording head 51 that forms an image on the printing paper 12 on the printing guide 35, and the recording head 51 is mounted on a carriage 52 that can reciprocate along a guide shaft 53. . The recording head 51 is a well-known ink jet head that forms an image by ejecting ink from a printing surface (nozzle surface) 54.
[0022]
Below the recording head 51, there are provided a discharge roller 60 that is rotationally driven by a motor, and a spur roller 61 that discharges the print paper 12 after image formation between the discharge roller 60. The spur roller 61 is made of a thin plate material having a number of sharp protrusions on the outer periphery. That is, the upper surface of the printing paper 12 immediately after image formation is in an undried state, and a rubber roller having a large contact area cannot be used unlike other printers that are not ink jet printers. Therefore, the spur roller 61 having a small contact area is used.
[0023]
The spur roller 61 is pivotally supported by a plate-shaped spur roller holder 62, and the spur roller holder 62 is attached to a frame 63 that supports the carriage 52. A bent portion 64 bent forward is formed at the lower end of the frame 63, and a substantially continuous surface is formed by the bent portion 64 and the spur roller holder 62. A partition plate 65 is disposed below the frame 63 substantially in parallel with the frame 63, and the partition plate 65 is connected to the cover frame 24. Further, the opening portion between the partition plate 65 and the spur roller 61 is closed by the above-described surface including the spur roller holder 62 and the bent portion 64, and dust is prevented from falling on the stacker 70 below. Yes. Further, the partition plate 65 forms a discharge port 66 for discharging the printing paper 12 conveyed by the rollers 60 and 61 to the stacker 70 below the discharge roller 60 and the spur roller 61.
[0024]
The stacker 70 includes a spur roller holder 62, a bent portion 64, and a stacker base portion 71 as a guide surface located below the partition plate 65, and a paper tray that can be projected forward (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). As an auxiliary stacker 72. The stacker base 71 is constituted by a part of the base frame 73 of the printer body 10 and is formed with a slight downward slope in the discharge direction of the printing paper 12. The auxiliary stacker 72 is configured so that it can be stored in a storage space 74 provided under the base frame 73 including the stacker base 71 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 1). That is, under the base frame 73, a pair of L-shaped support plates 81 are formed so as to face each other and extend in the front-rear direction in the same manner as the support plate 181 in FIG. . The auxiliary stacker 72 is supported on the left and right sides of the support plate 81 and is slidable between a retracted position below the base frame 73 and a protruding position pulled forward. Further, a stopper 75 for aligning the front end of the printing paper 12 is provided at the front end of the auxiliary stacker 72. The stopper 75 is connected to the front end of the auxiliary stacker 72 via a hinge portion 77 (see FIG. 2), and is positioned at a low position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 1) that falls forward of the auxiliary stacker 72 and perpendicular to the surface of the auxiliary stacker 72. It is configured to be able to swing around a horizontal axis between an upright standing position (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1).
[0025]
In the inkjet printer, the total length of the combined upper surface 78 of the auxiliary stacker 72 and the upper surface 79 of the stacker base 71 is almost equal to the total length of the maximum usable printing paper 12. . Further, the printing paper 12 is discharged downward at an angle of about 45 ° from between the discharge roller 60 and the spur roller 61 through the discharge port 66. The front end of the stacker base 71 is disposed slightly ahead of the extended surface in the discharge direction.
[0026]
Next, the configuration of the stacker 70 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the stacker 70, and FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view thereof.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in this stacker 70, a rectangular notch 83 is formed in the center of the front end of the auxiliary stacker 72, and the stopper 75 is configured in the notch 83 as follows. The hinge part 77 is connected so as to be swingable. That is, cylindrical large-diameter shafts 91 project from both side surfaces of the stopper 75, and the auxiliary stacker 72 has a flange 90 having a shaft hole 93 that supports the large-diameter shaft 91 so as to be swingable. 83 is formed on both side surfaces. In addition, a relatively small diameter small shaft 95 is provided on both sides of the stopper 75 adjacent to the large diameter shaft 91, and the rotation of the small diameter shaft 95 around the large diameter shaft 91 is guided around the shaft hole 93. A guide groove 97 is formed. Here, the guide groove 97 extends from a standing position where the stopper 75 rises perpendicularly to the surface of the auxiliary stacker 72 to a low position where the stopper 75 falls forward and is disposed on the same plane as the auxiliary stacker 72. It is formed in a fan shape so that it can move. The guide groove 97 is formed with a ridge 97a on which the small-diameter shaft 95 can be overcome by elasticity to hold the stopper 75 in the upright position.
[0027]
On the other hand, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 3, a pair of recesses 71 b that accommodate the hinge portions 77 on both sides of the stopper 75 are formed at the tip 71 a of the stacker base 71. Therefore, the auxiliary stacker 72 can be stored up to a position where the shaft hole 93 overlaps the tip 71a of the stacker base 71, as shown in FIG. Further, the top of the flange 90 is formed to be approximately the same height as or lower than the upper surface 79 of the stacker base 71. Therefore, when the auxiliary stacker 72 is stored in this way, the tip 71a contacts the stopper 75 from above the large diameter shaft 91, and the stopper 75 is tilted forward and disposed at a low position. That is, the tip 71a functions as a stopper moving means. In this state, since the stopper 75 is lower than the stacker base 71, the printing paper 12 discharged via the stacker base 71 passes over the stopper 75 and is smoothly discharged.
[0028]
Further, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2A, when the auxiliary stacker 72 is pulled out and the stopper 75 is disposed in the upright position, a large number of printing papers 12 can be aligned and held. At this time, the small-diameter shaft 95 and the protrusion 97a are engaged, and the stopper 75 is prevented from falling forward.
[0029]
Thus, in the present ink jet printer, when the auxiliary stacker 72 is stored, the stopper 75 comes into contact with the tip 71a and is automatically disposed at the low position. For this reason, the following effects are acquired. That is, if the stopper 75 is held in the upright position when the auxiliary stacker 72 is stored, the stopper 75 may block the discharge path of the printing paper 12 and the printing paper 12 after image formation may not be smoothly discharged. However, the present inkjet printer can reliably prevent such a situation from occurring. For this reason, when the printing paper 12 is small or the number of the printing papers 12 is small, it is possible to satisfactorily form an image while the auxiliary stacker 72 is stored, and the area occupied by the ink jet printer can be favorably reduced. .
[0030]
Furthermore, since the stopper 75 moves to the low position by mechanically contacting the tip 71a of the auxiliary stacker 72, the stopper 75 is surely brought to the low position even if the auxiliary stacker 72 is stored with the power of the ink jet printer turned off. Can be moved. In addition, since the stopper 75 falls to the side away from the printer main body 10 and is disposed at a low position, the stopper 75 does not move completely to the low position, but goes to a halfway position, that is, toward the outside of the printer main body 10. Even if the printer stops in an inclined state, there is little possibility that the discharge of the printing paper 12 will be hindered. In addition, the stopper 75 disposed at the lower position is disposed below the stacker base 71, and there is almost no possibility of obstructing the discharge of the printing paper 12. Therefore, in the present ink jet printer, it is possible to very well prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the printing paper 12 after image formation is not smoothly discharged.
[0031]
Note that the surface of the flange 90 on the stacker base 71 side is an inclined surface that rises in the discharge direction of the printing paper 12. For this reason, even if the auxiliary stacker 72 is stopped at a position where it is being pulled out, if the stopper 75 is tilted to a low position as described above, the top of the flange 90 is used as the upper surface of the auxiliary stacker 72 and the stopper 75 is positioned lower than that. Therefore, the printing paper 12 passes over the flange 90 and is discharged. Even when the printing paper 12 longer than the total length of the stacker 70 is used, it is effective if the auxiliary stacker 72 is pulled out to the maximum and the stopper 75 is tilted. Further, the flange 90 can be provided on the lower surface of the auxiliary stacker 72. In this way, the low-position stopper 75 and the upper surface of the auxiliary stacker 72 can be disposed on the same plane.
[0032]
Next, FIG. 4A is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of a stacker 170 according to another embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a front view thereof. As shown in FIG. 4B, on both sides of the auxiliary stacker 172 of the stacker 170 (only one side is shown in the figure), support plates 181 that protrude from the bottom surface of the stacker base 171 and are bent in an L shape inside are provided. The auxiliary stacker 172 is supported by the support plate 181 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a stopper 175 swings around a horizontal axis via a hinge 177 in a rectangular notch 183 formed at the center of the front end of the auxiliary stacker 172. Connected as possible. The hinge portion 177 has a known configuration in which shafts protruding from both side surfaces of the stopper 175 are fitted into shaft holes formed on both side surfaces of the notch portion 183.
[0033]
The stopper 175 includes a flat plate portion 175a that locks the front end of the printing paper 12, and a foot portion 175b that protrudes obliquely from both sides of the edge of the plate portion 175a (lower end in a standing position described later). The hinge portion 177 is formed at the center of the side surface of the foot portion 175b. With this configuration, the stopper 175 overlaps the upper surface 178 of the auxiliary stacker 172 and falls down (shown by a solid line in FIG. 4), and an upright position rising vertically to the surface of the auxiliary stacker 172 (two-dot chain line in FIG. 4). Can be swung between the two. When the stopper 175 is disposed in the standing position, the foot 175b comes into contact with the inner wall of the notch 183 to prevent the stopper 175 from falling forward.
[0034]
A protrusion 172a is formed on the upper surface 178 of the auxiliary stacker 172 behind the stopper 175 in the low position, and the protrusion 172a has a gently inclined surface at the rear. For this reason, even if the auxiliary stacker 172 is pulled out and used while the stopper 175 is disposed at the low position, the printing paper 12 can easily get over the stopper 175. A rectangular notch 185 is formed at the front end of the stacker base 171. When the stopper 175 is disposed at a low position and the auxiliary stacker 172 is stored in the storage space 174, the stopper 175 is accommodated in the notch 185. The At that time, the upper surface of the stopper 175 is positioned substantially the same as or lower than the upper surface of the stacker base 171.
[0035]
Further, the front end 181a of the support plate 181 is configured to be disposed in front of the hinge portion 177 when the auxiliary stacker 172 is stored. For this reason, when retracting the auxiliary stacker 172, the front end 181a (stopper moving means) comes into contact with the lower end of the foot 175b to move the stopper 175 to the low position. Note that the upper surface of the support plate 181 is notched in the vicinity of the front end 181a as shown in FIG. 4A in order to facilitate the movement of the stopper 175.
[0036]
For this reason, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the stopper 175 can be automatically moved to the low position when the auxiliary stacker 172 is stored. At this time, the stopper 175 is disposed below the upper surface 179 of the stacker base 171. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the discharge of the printing paper 12 from being hindered. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the stopper 175 falls backward and is disposed at a low position, so that the area occupied by the ink jet printer can be further reduced.
[0037]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, It can implement with a various form in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to various image forming apparatuses other than an ink jet printer. However, there is a strong demand for an inkjet printer to reduce the area occupied by the apparatus as compared with an image forming apparatus such as a dot impact type printer. Therefore, when the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer, the effect of the present invention that the occupied area can be satisfactorily reduced becomes more remarkable. The stopper may slide up and down and move between the standing position and the low position.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a configuration of an ink jet printer to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view and an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the stacker.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration on a stacker side of the inkjet printer.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are a longitudinal sectional view and a front view illustrating a configuration of another form of the stacker. FIGS.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer main body 12 ... Printing paper 51 ... Recording head 70, 170 ... Stacker 71, 171 ... Stacker base 72, 172 ... Auxiliary stacker 74, 174 ... Storage space 75, 175 ... Stopper 77, 177 ... Hinge part 181 ... Support plate

Claims (6)

A paper storage device that is provided in an image forming apparatus that discharges paper after image formation from a predetermined discharge port and stores the discharged paper,
A paper tray that is slidably provided between a storage position stored in a lower portion of the image forming apparatus and a protruding position protruding from the image forming apparatus, and that holds the discharged paper on the upper surface thereof;
A standing position that is provided at the leading end of the paper tray, stands up from the top surface of the paper tray and locks the leading end of the paper discharged onto the paper tray, and is positioned lower than the standing position from the discharge port. A stopper provided so as to be movable between a low position through which the discharged paper passes above;
Stopper moving means for moving the stopper to the low position when the paper tray slides to the storage position;
A sheet storage device comprising: 2. The stopper moving means is provided integrally with the image forming apparatus, and moves to the low position in contact with the stopper when the paper tray slides to the storage position. Paper storage device. The stopper is provided to be movable between the standing position and the low position by swinging about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the sliding direction of the paper tray,
3. The paper storage device according to claim 2, wherein the stopper moving unit abuts on the stopper from below the horizontal axis. The stopper is provided to be movable between the standing position and the low position by swinging about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the sliding direction of the paper tray,
3. The sheet storage device according to claim 2, wherein the stopper moving unit abuts on the stopper from above the horizontal axis. When the stopper moves to the low position, the stopper is substantially the same or below the guide surface that guides the paper discharged from the discharge port to the paper tray or the top surface of the paper tray. The sheet storage device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet storage device is provided. 6. The paper storage device according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an ink jet printer that forms an image by ejecting ink onto paper.

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