JP3671846B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile machine, and more particularly to the structure of a sheet feeding hopper apparatus having a sheet feeding tray body for cut sheets.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, for example, in JP-A-10-257220, JP-A-10-310281, and JP-A-11-227991, etc., in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile machine, the packaging of the apparatus is made compact, In addition, when the upper case of the apparatus is opened in order to remove the paper jam, the sheet feeding tray body that rotates integrally with the upper case does not collide with other objects and is not damaged. A configuration in which a paper feed tray body is rotatably and detachably attached to an upper case is well known.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional configuration, for example, the upper case is opened and rotated in order to remove a jammed paper, maintain the printing unit, or supply and replace consumables necessary for printing work. In this case, the paper feed tray body also rotates integrally. However, if the rear surface of the paper feed tray body hits another object, only the paper feed tray body is easily rotated, As a result of inadvertently changing the setting state between the provided paper feeding mechanism and the lower end of the paper stacked on the paper feeding tray body, the upper case is closed after the above operation, and then the paper feeding tray body is returned to a predetermined posture again. In addition, the operation of returning the stacked sheets to a predetermined set position has to be performed, which is troublesome.
[0004]
Further, conventionally, there has been known one in which a dust-proof cover body is detachably attached to the upper surface of the paper feed tray body in order to prevent dust from collecting on the paper stacked on the paper feed tray body. In that case, there is a problem that the dust-proof cover body is inadvertently displaced as the paper feed tray body is rotated, or it is easily detached from the paper feed tray body, which also takes time and effort to reattach. .
[0005]
The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described conventional problems, and allows rotation only when a predetermined external force is applied to a part of the paper feed tray body. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a dustproof cover body is not easily removed by rotation.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is configured such that a paper feed tray body is detachably attached to an upper case portion incorporating a paper feed mechanism, and the surface of the paper feed tray body is attached. In the image forming apparatus in which the dust-proof cover body is detachably mounted, the upper tray portion extending upward is connected to the base end member of the paper feed tray body so as to be rotatable forward, The base end member and the upper tray portion are provided with locking means that can be disengaged with an external force of a predetermined level or more, and a base end portion that is detachably mounted on the front side of the base end member in the paper feed tray body A cover body and a vertical movement distance regulating means for the dust-proof cover body with respect to the upper tray portion, and when the upper tray portion is rotated forward relative to the base end member, Forward bending of the upper tray through the cover It is obtained by adapted to regulate the angle.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the vertical movement distance restricting means is appropriately dimensioned by fitting the protrusion on the side surface of the upper tray portion and the protrusion. It is slidable only up and down, and is constituted by a guide groove provided on a side surface of the dustproof cover body .
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, a part of the guide groove has an open notch part through which the protrusion part passes and is removed, The cover body is configured to be detachable by allowing the protrusion to pass through the open notch .
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[0010]
1 is a side sectional view of the facsimile apparatus 1, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the facsimile apparatus, FIG. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of a paper feeding unit, and FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a paper feeding tray body. 5 is a perspective view of the locking means.
[0011]
First, the structure of the facsimile machine 1 as an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be outlined. The facsimile apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment reads an image or the like from the document 8 and transmits the image data as facsimile data to another facsimile apparatus via a communication line such as a telephone line and a communication line such as a telephone line. In addition to the function of a normal facsimile machine that receives facsimile data transmitted from other facsimile machines via the printer and forms the image on the recording paper 4, it can be connected to a personal computer, a word processor, or the like via a printer cable or infrared rays. The printer functions as a printer that receives print data transmitted through the printer and forms an image in accordance with the received data.
[0012]
A handset (not shown) is disposed on one side of the main body case 2 of the facsimile apparatus 1. The upper case portion 6 that covers the upper surface of the main body case 2 having an open upper surface is pivotally attached to the upper rear end of the main body case 2 so as to be vertically rotatable around a rotation fulcrum 6a at the rear end. An operation panel 3 having a key switch 3a, a liquid crystal display device (not shown), and the like is provided on the upper front side of the upper case portion 6. The operation panel 3 is also configured so that the front side can be largely opened upward and rotated in order to remove the original 8 or replace the ink sheet 23 together with a cartridge, which will be described later, when the original 8 is poorly fed. . Further, a paper feed tray body 5 having an upper tray portion 30 and the like for stacking and placing the recording paper 4 in an obliquely downward standing state on the upper rear portion of the main body case 2 is provided on the upper case portion 6. A document table 7 is detachably mounted on the middle part of the upper and lower surfaces of the main body case 2 so as to be detachable and rotatable with respect to the rear part.
[0013]
In the main body case 2, a conveying roller pair 11 is disposed at a position below the operation panel 3, downstream of a feed roller 9 for separating and feeding the originals 8 from the original table 7 one by one, A contact image scanner unit (CIS) 10 for reading the document 8 and a paper discharge roller pair 12 are arranged on the downstream side.
[0014]
A paper feed mechanism 13 is provided in the upper case portion 6 below the paper feed tray 5 for transporting the recording paper 4 stacked on the paper feed tray body 5 one by one toward a printing section described later. Yes. In other words, the paper feed mechanism 13 is provided on the lower peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 15 and the paper feed set plate 14 for pressing the lower end of the stacked recording paper 4 against the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 15 by the spring 14 a. It consists of a separation pad 16 and the like for urging by a spring to separate the paper one by one.
[0015]
A roller-shaped platen 17 serving as a printing unit and a thermal head on a printing table 19 urged by a spring 18 toward the lower surface of the platen 17 are provided below the paper feed mechanism 13 and in the main body case 2. And an accommodating portion 21 for an ink sheet 23 wound around an ink sheet cartridge (not shown) arranged so as to straddle the printing stand 19 in the front-rear direction (FIG. 1). reference).
[0016]
The ink sheet 23 wound from the supply side sheet spool 25 to the front winding side sheet spool 26 passes through the top surface of the thermal head and the tension member made of the spring plate, and the lower peripheral surface side of the winding side sheet spool 26. To. At this time, the ink surface of the ink sheet 23 is on the upper surface. The recording paper 4 that overlaps the upper surface (ink surface) of the ink sheet 23 is printed by the printing unit where the platen 17 and the thermal head overlap, and then the paper discharge guide chute 27 formed on the lower surface of the upper case unit 6 and The paper is discharged to the rear of the upper surface of the upper case portion 6 through the paper discharge roller pair 28.
[0017]
Next, the configuration of the paper feed tray body 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The paper feed tray body 5 includes a base end member 31 that is detachably attached to an upper rear portion of the upper case portion 6, an upper tray portion 30 that is rotatably mounted at the upper end portion thereof, and a base end A base end cover body 32 that covers the front surface of the member 31 so as to be openable and closable, and a removable dustproof cover body 33 that covers the front surface of the upper tray section 30, each of which is an injection molded product of a synthetic resin material. is there.
[0018]
Pin shafts 34 projecting laterally outward from the lower ends of the left and right sides of the upper tray 30 are pivotally supported by bearings 35 formed on the left and right sides of the base end member 31. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, on the lower surface of the two wedge-shaped engaging portions 36 b and 36 b integrally formed on the front surface (front surface) of the base end member 31, When the upper surfaces of the two wedge-shaped engaging portions 36a, 36a integrally formed at both side portions are brought into contact with each other, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the paper is placed on the front surface of the upper tray portion 30 and the base end member 31. The mounting portion is locked so as to be substantially straight. However, when an external force of a predetermined level or more acts in the right direction in FIG. 3 on the upper tray portion 30 side, the upper tray portion 30 is disengaged from the engaging portion 36a and the engaging portion 36b as the locking means. 3 is configured to be able to approach the upper surface of the upper case portion 6 by rotating clockwise in FIG. The protrusions formed on the left and right sides of the front surface of the base member 31 are in contact with the ribs protruding in the back direction on the left and right sides of the back side of the upper tray unit 30, thereby 30 and the sheet placement portion on the front surface of the base end member 31 are held in a posture so as to be substantially straight.
[0019]
On the other hand, the same pin shaft 37 projecting laterally outward from the lower end portions on the left and right sides of the base end cover body 32 is pivotally supported with respect to the base end member 31 so as to be able to rotate back and forth. When the recording paper 4 is stacked and placed, the upper end side of the base end cover body 32 is greatly opened from the front surface of the base end member 31 so that the recording paper 4 can be easily set. The arm 38 integrally projecting downward from one side of the base end cover body 32 is a surface of the paper feed set plate 14 in the paper feed mechanism 13 when the base end cover body 32 is closed. When the base end cover body 32 is opened and rotated as described above, the paper feed set plate 14 is pushed against the force of the spring 14a via the arm 38, and the paper feed is performed. The pressing force to the recording paper 4 sandwiched between the set plate 14 and the paper supply roller 15 is released.
[0020]
The dust-proof cover body 33 has its left and right side plates 33a (only one shown in FIG. 4) positioned outside the left and right side plates 30a (only one shown in FIG. 4) of the upper tray portion 30, and the dust-proof cover The body 33 can be fitted to the upper tray portion 30 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. Note that the side plate 33b at the upper end of the dust-proof cover body 33 abuts on the upper edge of the upper tray portion 30, and the dust-proof cover body 33 does not descend any further.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the left and right side plates 30a of the upper tray portion 30 are provided with protrusions 39 outward, while the left and right side plates 33a of the dustproof cover body 33 are provided with the protrusions 39. A guide groove 40 for slidably guiding is formed. The open notch groove 40 communicates with the passage part 40a as an open notch part through which the protrusion 39 can be detached and along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the side plate 33a. The sliding groove 40b on the upper side of the passage portion 40a is longer than the length L1 of the protruding portion 39, and is formed on the lower side of the passage portion 40a. The sliding groove 40b is formed short. Accordingly, when the projection 39 is positioned on the upper side of the sliding groove 40 b and when the projection 39 is positioned on the lower edge 41 of the sliding groove 40 b, the dustproof cover body 33 is detached from the upper tray portion 30. There is no configuration. Further, the protrusion 39 and the sliding groove 40 b are also a regulation unit that regulates a vertical movement distance of the dustproof cover body 33 with respect to the upper tray portion 30.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the paper feed tray body 5 having the above-described configuration will be described. For example, when the ink sheet cartridge is replaced or the paper jam is removed, the upper case portion 6 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. When opened upward, the paper feed tray body 5 also rotates counterclockwise. At this time, normally, the protrusions formed on the left and right sides of the front surface of the base member 31 are brought into contact with the ribs protruding in the back direction on the left and right sides of the back surface of the upper tray 30. Thereby, the base end member 31 and the upper tray part 30 can rotate integrally. In other words, the upper tray portion 30 is not staggered as compared with the case where only the upper tray portion 30 is configured to rotate freely.
[0023]
Then, the external force more than a predetermined collide other things on the rear surface of the upper tray part 30 during rotation acts upward, the engagement between the engaging portion 36a and 36b of the locking means, the base end Only the upper tray portion 30 rotates lightly around the pin shaft 34 with respect to the member 31, and the upper tray portion 30 can be prevented from being damaged.
[0024]
When the upper case part 6 once opened is closed with respect to the main body case 2, the base end member 31 and the upper tray part 30 can normally rotate integrally as described above. However, when it closes and pivots vigorously or when it hits the other side of the upper tray portion 30, the engagement means is released by inertia force (impact force), and the upper tray portion 30 is moved upward. It is bent and rotated (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) about the pin shaft 34 so as to approach the upper surface of the case portion 6. In that case, the base end cover body 32 is also pushed in the same direction by being pushed by the front surface of the upper tray portion 30 (such as the upper edge of the side plate 30a). The arm 38 in the section cover body 32 pushes the paper feed set plate 14 backward (see the two-dot chain line state in FIG. 3), and the paper feed set plate 14 of the recording paper 4 stacked on the surface side of the base end member 31. And the sheet pressing roller 15 can be released.
[0025]
Further, when the base end cover body 32 is also pushed in the same direction by being pushed by the front surface of the upper tray section 30 (side plate 30a, etc.), the upper end edge of the base end cover body 32 is used for dust prevention. pushes upward the lower end of the cover 33, but slid over side dustproof cover 33 along the front surface of the tray portion 30, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the lower edge of the protrusion 39 slides When it collides with the lower end edge 41 of the groove 40b, the upward sliding movement of the dustproof cover body 33 is further prevented, and the protrusion 39 is displaced from the passage part 40a. I will not deviate from. As a result, the bending angle θ of the upper tray portion 30 with respect to the base end member 31 is also regulated to be constant.
[0026]
When the upper tray portion 30 is returned to the original state with respect to the base end member 31, the pressing of the paper feed set plate 14 by the arm 38 is released, and the lower end portion of the recording paper 4 is automatically pushed by the paper feed set plate 14. The pressure on the paper feed roller 15 can be automatically restored.
[0027]
Unless the paper feed set plate 14 is retracted by the arm 38, the pressing state of the paper feed set plate 14 and the paper feed roller 15 of the recording paper 4 stacked on the surface side of the base end member 31 does not change. When the user performs an operation of returning the upper tray unit 30 to the original state (a state in which the engaging portions 36a and 36b are engaged), the operation of resetting and repressing the paper feeding set plate 14 is performed. Can be omitted.
[0028]
It should be noted that the maximum opening angle of the base end cover body 32 is regulated and the vertical movement distance regulating means of the dustproof cover body 33 with respect to the upper tray section 30 is provided, thereby regulating the forward bending rotation angle of the upper tray section 30. You may comprise as follows.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the paper feed tray body is detachably attached to the upper case portion incorporating the paper feed mechanism, and is attached to the surface of the paper feed tray body. In the image forming apparatus in which the dust-proof cover body is detachably mounted, the upper tray portion extending upward is connected to the base end member of the paper feed tray body so as to be rotatable forward, The base end member and the upper tray portion are provided with locking means that can be disengaged with an external force of a predetermined level or more.
[0030]
Therefore, only when a large external force is applied to the back surface of the upper tray part, the upper tray part is disengaged from the base end member and can be freely rotated. There is an effect of not.
[0031]
Further, the front end side of the base end member in the paper feed tray body is provided with a base end cover body that is detachably mounted, and a vertical movement distance regulating means for the dustproof cover body with respect to the upper tray section, and the base end When the upper tray portion is rotated forward with respect to the member, the front end refraction angle of the upper tray portion is regulated by the base end cover body via the dustproof cover body .
[0032]
With this configuration, even when the upper tray portion is rotated forward with respect to the base end member, the forward refraction angle of the upper tray portion is restricted and does not rotate greatly, so that it rotates integrally with the upper case portion. The paper setting state on the paper feed tray relative to the paper feeding mechanism does not change carelessly, and when the upper case part is returned to the original state, it is not necessary to reset the paper again. There is an effect that the work can be speeded up.
[0033]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the up-and-down movement distance restricting means includes a protrusion on a side surface of the upper tray portion and the protrusion that fits in an appropriate size. The guide groove is formed on the side surface of the dustproof cover body . Therefore, when the upper tray portion is rotated forward with respect to the base end member, the dustproof cover body can be pushed upward by the base end cover body. In addition, since the protrusion is provided on the side surface of the upper tray portion and the guide groove is provided on the side surface of the dust-proof cover body, there is an effect that the paper feeding operation is not obstructed and the configuration is extremely simple.
[0034]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the guide groove has an open notch portion through which the protruding portion passes and is removed, and the dustproof cover body. Is configured such that the protrusion can be attached and detached by passing the open notch . If comprised in this way, in addition to the effect by the invention of Claim 2 , a dust-proof cover body can be removed only when a protrusion part, an open notch part, and an arrangement position correspond. In addition, since the open notch is provided on the side surface of the dust-proof cover body, there is an effect that the sheet feeding operation is not disturbed and the configuration can be extremely simplified.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a facsimile apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the facsimile apparatus.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of a paper feed tray body.
FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an upper tray portion and a dustproof cover body.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an engaging portion as locking means.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Main body case 4 Recording paper as paper 5 Paper feed tray body 6 Upper case part 13 Paper feed mechanism 14 Paper feed set board 15 Paper feed roller 30 Upper tray part 31 Base end member 32 Base end cover body 33 Dust-proof cover body 34, 37 Pin shafts 36a, 36b Engaging portion 39 Protruding portion 40 Guide groove 40a Passing portion 40b as sliding notch portion Slide groove 41 Lower edge

Claims (3)

In an image forming apparatus in which a paper feed tray body is detachably attached to an upper case portion incorporating a paper feed mechanism, and a dustproof cover body is detachably attached to the surface of the paper feed tray body.
Against the proximal member in the paper feed tray member, while pivotally coupled to the upper tray portion extending thereabove forward to said proximal member and the upper tray part, engaged at a predetermined or more external force It has locking means that can be released ,
The front end side of the base end member in the paper feed tray body includes a base end cover body that is detachably mounted, and a vertical movement distance regulating means for the dustproof cover body with respect to the upper tray section,
When the upper tray portion is rotated forward relative to the base end member, the front end refraction angle of the upper tray portion is regulated by the base end cover body via the dustproof cover body. An image forming apparatus. The vertical movement distance regulating means includes a protrusion on a side surface of the upper tray portion, a guide groove provided on the side surface of the dust-proof cover body, the protrusion being fitted and slidable up and down by an appropriate size. the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it is constituted by. A part of the guide groove has an open notch part through which the projection part passes and is removed, and the dustproof cover body can be attached and detached by passing the projection part through the open notch part. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 .

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