JP4300474B2 - Manual feed tray and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a structure of a paper feed tray to be mounted on a paper feed unit of an image forming apparatus, and is a manual feed that allows an auxiliary tray connected to a tray body via a hinge to be easily opened from a folded state. The present invention relates to a tray and an image forming apparatus including the tray.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a multifunction machine that combines a facsimile machine and a copier function, a manual feed tray is arranged on the side of the main body of the apparatus, and a size of paper that cannot be accommodated in a paper feed tray Therefore, it is possible to deal with the creation of recording paper using a small number of sheets. In general, the manual feed tray is provided such that the holding position can be changed between a position where the manual feed tray is stood and stored via a hinge and a position where the manual feed tray is tilted sideways to feed paper. In the manual feed tray, an auxiliary tray is provided so as to be foldable with respect to the tray body via a hinge portion, and a width guide member is provided to restrict both sides of the paper set in the manual feed tray. In the manual feed tray having the above-described configuration, when the tray is not used, the folded tray is stood against the side of the apparatus and stored so as not to obstruct the operation of the apparatus (for example, see Patent Document 1). ).
JP-A-5-319635

However, the manual feed tray is provided as a three-stage tray so that the two auxiliary trays are sequentially supported with respect to the tray main body, so that the tray main body can be downsized and large-size paper can be handled. It is considered.
In this case, when the auxiliary tray is opened from the state where the auxiliary tray is overlapped with the tray body, a finger is hooked on the free end side of the auxiliary tray and the operation is performed around the hinge portion. The wall body hinders the operation of the auxiliary tray, which makes it unusable for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a manual feed tray that is improved in usability for a user when the auxiliary tray is opened from a state in which the auxiliary tray is stacked on the tray body, and an image forming apparatus including the manual feed tray.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tray main body swingably provided on a side surface of the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus via a hinge, and swingable with respect to the tray main body via a hinge. In a manual feed tray including a first tray that is foldably connected to the tray main body, the tray main body is provided with two side guides that regulate both side surfaces of the paper set in the tray main body. The first tray is folded into a recess formed between the two side guides when the two side guides move to both side ends on the tray body, and the side of the first tray is the handle portion is provided, the handle portion, the relative tray main body in a state of overlapping folding the first tray protrudes upward so that it can swing the first tray over finger And wherein the door.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the manual feed tray of the first aspect, the tray body is located on one end side of the first tray, and is connected to the other end side of the first tray via a hinge. The handle portion is provided at a position closer to the other end portion than the one end portion .

A third aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including the manual feed tray according to the first or second aspect.

  According to the present invention, since the handle portion for opening the auxiliary tray is provided on the side portion of the manual feed tray, the user of the image forming apparatus opens the auxiliary tray by placing a finger on the handle portion from the front of the apparatus. This improves usability.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated example. The image forming apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 is described as a so-called multi-function machine having both functions of a copying machine and a FAX (facsimile). The image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2 provided with a recording unit for forming an image using an electrophotographic method, and a paper feeding unit 3 combined with the lower part of the main body 2. The paper feed unit 3 can be optionally equipped with a paper feed tray 4 that accommodates one or a plurality of different sizes of paper. Then, according to the input information such as the size of the original and the enlargement / reduction ratio, a paper having a size required by the recording unit can be selected from those stored in the paper feed tray 4 and fed. It is possible. In the illustrated embodiment, one sheet feeding tray 4 is set at the lower portion of the apparatus main body 2, and a sheet is recorded one by one by the cooperative action of the sheet feeding roller 5 and a separation pad not described. It is configured to send out toward 10. In the example described below, an example in which one sheet feeding tray 4 is mounted on the sheet feeding unit 3 of the image forming apparatus 1 is described. However, the number of sheet feeding trays to be mounted on the sheet feeding unit, etc. As with a general image forming apparatus, any number of paper feed trays can be provided.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, the paper taken out from the paper feed tray 4 set in the paper feed unit 3 is fed from the manual feed tray 40 as another paper feed path at the portion of the combined flow path provided in the lower part of the paper transport path 7. The sheet feeding path and the return path 24 are provided so as to merge. Then, the paper that has passed through each paper feed path is positioned at the leading edge of the paper by the registration roller device 6 so that the timing is matched with the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11. The registration roller device is driven and sent to the manual recording unit 10. The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred by the recording unit 10 is fixed to the sheet when passing through the fixing device 18 disposed above the recording unit 10, and the sheet is discharged from the discharge path 20 to the discharge roller device. 22 is discharged to the discharge tray 8.

  The recording unit 10 is configured as an apparatus for recording an image using an electrophotographic system. The recording unit 10 includes a writing device 12, a developing device 15, a transfer roller 14, and the like that irradiate the photosensitive drum 11 with laser light. It is arranged. An LED array head can also be applied as the writing device 12. Further, a member disposed around the photosensitive drum 11, a member that charges the photosensitive drum 11, a member that performs an operation such as memory removal after the toner image is transferred to a sheet, and the developing device 15 and the periphery thereof. The detailed configuration and operation of the member to be performed are the same as those of a conventional image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system.

  The fixing device 18 disposed on the upper portion of the recording unit 10 provided in the apparatus main body 2 is disposed with a heat roller and a pressure roller facing each other, and a sheet on which a toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 11 is disposed. Then, fixing is performed between the two rollers of the fixing device 18. The sheet having undergone the fixing process through the fixing device 18 is conveyed from the upper part of the fixing device 18 through a discharge path 20 formed in a substantially horizontal direction, and is discharged to the discharge tray 8 by a discharge roller device 22. When the image forming apparatus 1 is a model that supports only single-sided printing, the discharge roller device 22 is configured to perform a conveying operation only in a direction in which the sheet is discharged toward the discharge tray 8.

  On the other hand, as shown in the figure, when the image forming apparatus 1 is configured as a device capable of duplex printing, the discharge roller device 22 is configured as a device capable of transporting in the forward and reverse directions. When the double-sided printing mode is selected as the printing mode of the image forming apparatus 1, the discharge roller device 22 is driven reversely during the operation of discharging the single-side printed paper toward the discharge tray 8. Thus, the switching gate 21 feeds back toward the reverse path 24 communicating with the discharge path 20. The paper passing through the reversing path 24 is returned to the main transport path 7 upstream of the registration roller device 6 and transported so that the back surface of the paper faces the photoconductive drum 11, and the toner image is transferred from the photoconductive drum 11. Transcribed. Thereafter, when the paper passes through the fixing device 18, the paper on which the toner image is fixed on both sides is discharged toward the discharge tray 8 by the discharge roller device 22.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a manual feed tray 40 on the side of the apparatus main body 2. From the manual feed tray 40, special-size paper that cannot be accommodated in the paper feed tray 4 set in the paper feed unit 3 is different in size from the paper accommodated in the paper feed tray, and only a few sheets. Sheets and the like that require copying are set in the manual feed tray 40 so that images can be formed on these sheets. Note that the detailed configuration of the manual feed tray 40, the configuration of the image reading device 50 provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 2, the operation of reading the image of the document, and the like are not particularly the gist of the present invention, and thus will not be described in detail. Is omitted.

  The sheet conveying member disposed along the main conveying path 7 and the respective components disposed in the recording unit 10 will be described. Sheet separation for separating and feeding sheets from the sheet feeding tray 4 one by one. In the illustrated example, the apparatus uses a separation pad 5a that faces the paper feed roller 5, but a separation claw may be used instead. The sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray 4 is subjected to an additional feeding action by the sheet feeding roller 5 with the leading end of the sheet entering the nip portion of the registration roller device 6 that is stopped. To align the leading edge of the paper. Next, in synchronization with the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11, the registration roller device 6 is driven to further feed the paper, and the toner image from the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred.

  In the recording unit 10, a charger 13, a developing device 15, and a transfer roller 14 are disposed around the photosensitive drum 11, and the main sheet is passed between the photosensitive drum 11 and the transfer roller 14. A conveyance path 7 is provided. The path for transporting the sheet is formed by combining a series of a switching gate 21 and a discharge path 20 from the fixing device 18 and a return path described later. Further, as shown in the figure, the developing device 15 is a horizontally long device, and a developing roller 16 is provided on the side of the toner container (housing) corresponding to the photosensitive drum.

  In the recording unit 10, the photosensitive drum 11 is uniformly charged on the surface of the photosensitive member by the charger 13, and light is irradiated by the writing device to form an electrostatic latent image. Then, toner is supplied from the developing roller 16 and attached to the electrostatic latent image to form a visible image as a toner image. A transfer voltage of a predetermined transition is applied to the transfer roller 14 located on the back surface of the paper, and the toner image is transferred to the paper. After the toner image is transferred onto the paper, paper dust remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is removed by the cleaning member 13a.

  The manual feed tray provided on the right side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 with respect to the apparatus main body 2 is a first tray as an auxiliary tray member with respect to the tray main body 41 as shown in FIGS. 45, the second tray 47 is connected using the hinge members 43 and 48. The manual feed tray 40 is provided on the side opening / closing body 30 provided on the right side surface of the apparatus main body 2 so that the tray main body 41 can swing through a hinge 41a in the recessed portion 32. When the manual feed tray is not used, The other trays 45 and 47 are accommodated in the tray main body 41 so as to lean against each other. Then, the sheet is placed with the second tray 47 extended compared to the state shown in FIG. A separation pad 44a is provided at the left end portion of the main body member 41 of the manual feed tray 40 in correspondence with the manual feed roller 44 provided in the apparatus main body 2, and the paper set on the tray is fed to the paper feed. When performing the operation of feeding by the roller 44, the pad 44a is applied with a separating action.

  In the manual feed tray 40, the tray main body 41 is provided with side guides 42 and 42a for restricting both side surfaces of the paper to be set and preventing oblique feeding. In this embodiment, the two side guides are provided so as to be linked and separated so as to regulate both sides of the paper. Other than the center registration type apparatus, a system that regulates by a side guide 42 that is movable from the other side along a side guide that fixes one side of the sheet, that is, a side registration type apparatus. Then, it is possible to cope with the problem by providing only one side guide 42.

  As will be described below, when the first tray 45 is folded with respect to the tray body 41 of the manual feed tray 40, the side guides 42, 42a are placed on the tray body 41 as described in FIG. Is moved between the two side guides so as to be inserted between the two side guides. That is, if the side guides are not moved to both end portions, the first tray 45, i.e., the second tray 47 is overlaid on the tray body 4 so as not to be governed. is there. Therefore, when the manual feed tray 40 is folded so as to lean on the side of the apparatus main body, if the second tray 47 is not held so as to be surely overlapped with the first tray 45, the first tray 45 is attached to the main body member 41. When folding, the second tray 47 opens around the hinge 48, and the end portion hits the surface of the main body member 41.

  In the manual feed tray 40, when the first tray 45 is folded over the tray main body 41 via the hinge portion 43, the first tray 45 is in close contact with the tray main body 41 without any gap. There was a problem that it was not possible to smoothly open. That is, as in the above-described embodiment, the first tray 45 is overlapped so as to enter the recess provided in the tray body, and there is no gap for placing a finger on the side of the first tray 45. There are many. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in each embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4, with respect to the recess provided in the tray body 41, that is, the recess for accommodating the first tray 45, A handle portion 46 is provided on the side portion. The handle portion 46 can be formed as a rising portion or a small concave portion having any size as long as the operator can place a finger to swing the first tray 45.

  The handle portion 46 provided on the side of the first tray 45, with the first tray 45 superimposed on the tray main body 41, puts a finger on the side of the first tray 45, and the first tray 45. It is provided so as to protrude upward so that it can be swung. That is, the shape of the protruding portion of the handle portion 46 may be formed as a substantially arc-shaped protruding portion such as a shape obtained by cutting a part of a cylinder obliquely. Further, when the second tray 47 is overlapped with the first tray 45, the handle portion 46 is aligned with the position where the handle portion 46 is not obstructed so that the manual feed tray 40 is placed on the main body of the apparatus. It is provided at a position where the handle portion does not get in the way when leaning against the concave portion 32 on the side portion.

  The image reading device 50 provided on the upper portion of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to have both an FBS (flatbed scanner) function and an ADF (automatic document feeder) function. Platens 53 and 54 are provided on the upper part of the apparatus frame 52 of the image reading apparatus 50 shown in this example, the platen 53 is made to correspond to the FBS function, a book document is set on the platen 53, and the open / close frame 51 is used. Press to scan. Further, in the ADF 60, the document tray 61 and the document discharge tray 63 are connected by a horizontally-oriented substantially U-shaped document conveyance path 62, and stopped at the platen 54 while conveying the document at a constant speed. The image is read by the reading device 55 that has been selected.

  The reading device 55 is provided with a lamp 56 disposed at the top, a mirror 57 and a lens 58 for reflecting a plurality of lights. In the reading device 55, the length of the optical path for reflecting the light by the plurality of mirrors is set as a predetermined length, the light is applied to the document, the reflected light is reflected by the mirror, and the lens 58 An image is formed on the CCD 59. The CCD 59 can also convert the optical signal into a digital signal and output it. The information can be used for image formation in the recording unit, and information can be transmitted using the FAX function.

  In the embodiment of the manual feed tray 40, the shape of the handle portion 46 provided on the first tray 45 is wide at the portion supported by the tray body 41 by the hinge 43, but supports the second tray 47. In general, the tip portion having the hinge 47 is formed with a narrow width. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to easily perform the opening operation of the first tray 45, the handle portion 46 is provided as close to the hinge portion 48 as possible, so that the operability is good. To be able to. When the manual feed tray 40 is used, it is rare that only the first tray 46 is opened with respect to the tray body 41 so that paper can be fed. Usually, the second tray 47 is also opened at the same time. The cover can be used to feed large size paper. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the manual feed tray 40 is used by opening the first tray and then opening the second tray 47 continuously as shown in FIG.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view of a manual feed tray. It is a side view of a manual feed tray. It is explanatory drawing of the state which accumulated the tray member which comprises a manual feed tray.

Explanation of symbols

1 image forming apparatus, 2 apparatus main body, 3 paper feed unit, 4 paper feed tray,
5 paper feed roller, 6 registration roller device, 7 paper transport path,
8 discharge tray, 10 recording section, 11 photosensitive drum,
12 writing device, 13 charging member, 14 transfer roller,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Developing device, 16 Developing roller, 18 Fixing device, 20 Discharge path, 24 Return path, 25 Middle guide body, 26,27 Conveyance roller apparatus,
30 side opening / closing body, 31 hinge, 32 recess, 35 convex member,
40 manual feed tray, 41 body member, 42 side guide,
43 Hinge, 44 Paper feed roller, 45/47 Tray member,
46 handle part, 50 image reading device, 52 frame,
53 platen, 55 reader, 59 CCD,
60 ADF, 61 Document tray,
62 Document transport path, 63 Document discharge tray.

Claims (3)

A tray body swingably provided via a hinge on the side surface of the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus,
A first tray provided so as to be swingable with respect to the tray body via a hinge, and connected to the tray body so as to be foldable;
In the manual feed tray with
The tray body is provided with two side guides that regulate both side surfaces of the paper set in the tray body,
The first tray is folded into a recess formed between the two side guides when the two side guides move to both end portions on the tray body,
A handle portion is provided on the side of the first tray,
The manual feed tray , wherein the handle portion protrudes upward so that the first tray can be swung with a finger in a state where the first tray is folded and stacked on the tray body . The tray body is located on one end side of the first tray,
A second tray connected to the other end of the first tray via a hinge;
The manual feed tray according to claim 1, wherein the handle portion is provided at a position closer to the other end portion than the one end portion . An image forming apparatus comprising the manual feed tray according to claim 1 .

Images