JP4196980B2 - Paper feed tray - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a paper feed tray used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine of these.

  The paper feed tray of the image forming apparatus includes a housing, a paper stacking plate provided on the bottom of the housing for placing paper, a side guide for regulating the side of the paper, an end guide for determining the tail end position of the paper, and paper It consists of component parts such as a paper separation claw for separating and discharging the paper one by one, a retard roll, and a housing loading / unloading handle. In a tray that can store 250 sheets (1/2 pack) or more, it is necessary to sufficiently secure the rigidity of the tray itself. Further, even if the sheet conveyance speed is increased, it is necessary to assemble each component with high accuracy so as to maintain the sheet conveyance performance. Therefore, conventionally, the paper feed tray inevitably has a large number of screw fastening structures. For this reason, the complexity of assembly property and the cost increase were invited. In addition, when considering recycling, if there are a large number of screw fastening points, a great deal of labor is required for disassembling man-hours. At the same time, it takes time and labor to sort and reuse individual components.

  Further, most of the paper feed trays are generally made of resin in order to reduce cost and weight. When conscious of reuse, it is necessary to disassemble each component of the paper feed tray made of resin without damaging it. If screws are fastened to a component made of resin, the screw holes are broken during disassembly, and it is difficult to reassemble them using the same screw holes.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention significantly improves the structure of the paper feed tray of the image forming apparatus, is easy to assemble and disassemble, and is a reasonable paper feed tray for reuse, reuse, and disposal. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and in a paper feed tray having a movable end guide that corresponds to a plurality of paper lengths and determines the tail end position of the paper, suppresses the root, The member that restricts the end guide from being detached during the movement operation is a sheet feeding tray that is a member that itself has elasticity.

  In this sheet feeding tray, a member that suppresses the root and restricts the end guide from being detached during the moving operation is a member that can be easily moved without detaching the end guide by bending when being attached or detached.

  The elastic member is preferably a resin sheet material. The end guide corresponds to a plurality of paper lengths and can be easily moved to a position. The end guide is suppressed and restricted so that the end guide does not come off during the moving operation. The member is a member having elasticity so that the member can be easily assembled without using a tool using elasticity.

  As an assembly member, it is a member that itself has elasticity, and is easily assembled without using a tool by using elasticity, and a flexible part at the time of assembly and a flexible part when operated by a user are separately formed. A paper tray is preferred.

  In the present invention, the assembly member between the tray constituent members has a snap-fit structure, and can be easily assembled and disassembled. In addition, the entire process of assembling and disassembling the tray is formed by only members that can be performed from the same direction without changing the direction of the tray, which greatly contributes to labor saving.

  Since the sheet feeding tray of the present invention is configured as described above, the complexity of assembling property can be eliminated and the sheet feeding tray can be manufactured at a low cost. In addition, when considering recycling and reuse, it can be easily disassembled, and there is an excellent effect that a member to be reused or reused and a member to be discarded can be immediately selected.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the paper feed tray 1 and FIG. 8 shows a side view thereof. The paper feed tray 1 includes a housing 10, a paper stacking plate 20, a side guide 30, an end guide 40, a paper separation claw 50, a retard roll 60, and a housing insertion / removal handle 70. The housing 10 is a box-shaped casing of the paper feed tray 1 and is a box having a bottom plate and a side wall plate that surrounds the four sides, and an open top surface.

  The paper stacking plate 20 is a flat tray placed on the bottom plate of the housing 10 and has an ascending / descending function according to the amount of paper. Yes.

  The side guide 30 regulates both sides of the paper in the paper feed tray 1 and holds and guides the paper in the center in the width direction. The side guide 30 is provided with standing walls on the left and right sides, and operation knobs are attached to the standing walls. Thus, the interval between the standing walls can be adjusted to match the sheet width according to the sheet size.

  The end guide 40 is a member for positioning the tail end of the paper, and is set to move to a certain position according to the length of the paper. The paper separation claw 50 is a rocking member that has claws on both sides of the paper at the front end of the paper supply direction, and separates and feeds the paper one sheet at a time. The sheet separation claw 50 is attached to the side guide 30 or can be moved in the sheet width direction together with the side guide 30.

  The retard roll 60 is provided at the center of the paper delivery end, and is provided on the bottom plate of the housing to smoothly advance the paper in the delivery direction. The housing insertion / removal handle 70 is provided at the rear end of the housing 10 on the loading side, and is a handle for inserting / removing the entire paper tray 1 into / from the printer main body.

  The improvement of the end guide according to the present invention will be described. Using a leaf spring member with elasticity as a member to suppress the root of the end guide, when the end guide is set at a specified location, the end guide is firmly held in that position by using the elasticity of the leaf spring The members are configured.

  1 is a plan view of the end guide 40, FIG. 2 is a bottom view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a front view thereof. The end guide includes a hook 41 on the bottom surface 40. The hook 41 is attached with a member that suppresses the root of the end guide and restricts the end guide from being detached from the sheet stacking plate during the moving operation.

  FIG. 4 shows a state where the hook 41 penetrates the paper stacking plate 20 and a member 42 that contacts the bottom surface of the paper stacking plate 20 is attached to the hook 41. The member 42 is structured to bend when the end guide 40 is moved, so that the position can be easily moved without detaching the end guide. If the member 42 is made of metal, an abnormal noise may occur between the end guide and the sheet stacking plate during the position movement operation of the end guide. Therefore, a resin sheet material is used. This prevents the generation of abnormal noise.

  FIG. 5 shows this member (resin sheet material) 42. This member 42 has a rectangular shape as a whole, is provided with an attachment portion having a “U” -shaped cut 43 at the center, and is formed into a trough by bending both wings 44. Both wings 44 are elastically displaceable in the direction of arrow 45, and both wings have bending elasticity.

  When the member 42 is attached to the end guide, the member 42 can be easily assembled without using a tool by utilizing the elasticity of the member 42. Since the elasticity of the resin sheet material 42 is used during assembly and disassembly, no tools are required, and attachment and removal can be easily performed. The member 42 is formed separately with a bent portion used for assembly and a portion bent when the end guide moves. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, a U-shaped notch 43 is provided in the member 42 for assembly, and the protruding member inside the U-shape is bent and fitted when the end guide is assembled. Assemble. When the end guide is moved, both wing portions 44 of the member can be bent and the U-shaped protrusions can be operated without bending, and the end guide is not detached during the movement operation. FIG. 6 shows a state in which a similar elastic member 46 is attached to the paper edge contact portion of the end guide. The elastic member 46 is also suitable because it can be easily attached in the same manner as the member 42.

  The sheet feeding tray of the present invention has a snap-fit structure with respect to assembly of members, and does not use any fastening by screws. Therefore, it can be easily assembled and disassembled.

  In addition, the sheet feeding tray of the present invention can be assembled from the same direction without changing the direction of the tray, including the entire assembly and disassembly process of the tray and the assembly of all members, including the assembly related to them. Consists of only members. Therefore, the assembly process is streamlined, and the work is easy even when performing operations and maintenance.

It is a top view of an end guide. It is a bottom view of an end guide. It is a side view of an end guide. It is a rear view of an end guide. It is (a) top view and (b) side view of a resin member. It is a top view of an end guide attaching part. FIG. 3 is an overall plan view of a paper feed tray. 2 is an overall side view of a paper feed tray. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feed tray 10 Case 20 Paper stacking board 30 Side guide 40 End guide 41 Hook 42 Member (resin sheet material)
43 Incision 44 Both Wings 45 Arrow 46 Elastic Member 50 Paper Separation Claw 60 Retard Roll 70 Housing Push-pull Handle

Claims (4)

In a paper feed tray with a movable end guide that supports multiple paper lengths and determines the tail end position of the paper,
A paper stacking plate that is stacked on the bottom plate of the paper feed tray and has an elevating function that moves up and down according to the amount of paper supplied;
A through hole provided in the paper stacking plate;
A hook provided on the movable end guide;
A regulating member that is attached to the hook and prevents the end guide from being detached from the paper stacking plate by the hook that penetrates the through hole;
The regulating member is provided with a notch part, and the hook is fitted into the notch part as an attachment part, and both wings of the attachment part are bent and bending elasticity is generated by the displacement of both wing parts. A paper feed tray characterized in that The regulating member is deflected during movement operation, the paper feed tray according to claim 1, characterized in that a readily movable member without end guide is out. The sheet feeding tray according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is a resin sheet material. Corresponding to a plurality of paper length, the easily position the movable end guide, the regulating member is that the assembly member to be easily assembled without tools by utilizing the elastic is a member having an elastic The paper feed tray according to claim 1, wherein

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